Dr Tharin Blumenschein

Biography

I use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study structural and dynamic properties of proteins, and protein interactions. I’m particularly interested in disordered proteins, and pathogen effector proteins. At the moment, I’m focused on a disordered effector protein from chlamydia, TarP (Translocated actin-recruiting Phosphoprotein), which interacts with multiple proteins in the host cell to modify the actin cytoskeleton and facilitate cell invasion. I’m open to collaborations and looking at other interesting proteins!

I obtained a BSc in Molecular Sciences and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of São Paulo (Brazil). During my PhD, I developed an interest in Structural Biology which took me to Canada to learn NMR. There I studied structure and dynamics in the regulation of muscle contraction as a postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Brian Sykes’s laboratory, in the University of Alberta, before moving to the UK to work with Prof. Steve Matthews at Imperial College London, where I worked with effector proteins involved in cell invasion by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. In 2007 I moved to UEA, initially as a lecturer and then as associate professor from 2020.