Jawahar Sudhamsu
Director, Discovery Proteins, and Principal Scientist, Structural Biology and Discovery Oncology (Joint Appointment)
"I am motivated by our collaborative culture, and inspired by my colleagues who challenge existing paradigms and pursue innovative research."
I started at Genentech as a postdoctoral fellow in 2009 studying molecular mechanisms of signaling networks (TNF family, MAPK pathway). I am attracted to Genentech’s culture where everyone can explore new ideas and innovate. Being in a core function such as the Department of Structural Biology at Genentech provides an opportunity to be exposed to all therapeutic areas at Genentech. The freedom to pursue basic research in areas important for human health in addition to actively supporting drug discovery programs makes Genentech a special place in the industry.
Postdoctoral Mentor
The postdoctoral program keeps Genentech at the leading edge of biomedical research and often feeds into the company portfolio. Being a postdoc mentor is extremely rewarding to me. I enjoy witnessing all Genentech postdocs that I interact with develop as researchers and the enthusiasm they bring to doing exceptional scientific research motivates me. The biennial postdoc offsite is certainly among the best research conferences I attend.
Featured Publication
Negative regulation of RAF kinase activity by ATP is overcome by 14-3-3-induced dimerization.
Nat Struct Mol Biol 27, 134–141 (2020).
Structure of the BRAF-MEK Complex Reveals a Kinase Activity Independent Role for BRAF in MAPK Signaling
Volume 26, Issue 3, 8 September 2014, Pages 402-413