Ian Clark
iclark@uwhealth.org
(608) 890-5641
Chanda receives 2013 Cranefield Award for work in General Physiology
MADISON, Wis. — Dr. Baron Chanda, associate professor of neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, was selected to receive the 2013 Cranefield Award, presented by the Council of the Society of General Physiologists.
The award, named after Dr. Paul Cranefield, who for 30 years was the editor of The Journal of General Physiology, is given to a young, independent investigator who published an exceptional article in the journal during the previous year.
Leadership of the society selected Chanda for his publication, “Estimating the voltage-dependent free energy change of ion channels using the median voltage for activation,” published in January of 2012.
Chanda’s research interests include the molecular mechanisms that underlie gating in voltage-dependent ion channels. Voltage-gated ion channels play a significant role in allowing the controlled depolarization of cells. The human heart, for example, relies heavily on rapid and coordinated electrical signals to control the contraction and relaxation of the beating heart.
Chanda earned his PhD from the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India in 2000. He conducted postdoctoral research at UCLA with Dr. Francisco Bezanilla, explaining the mechanisms of voltage-dependent structural changes in sodium and potassium channels. His work at UCLA led to the development of new fluorescence methods to study membrane dynamics. He joined UW-Madison’s department of physiology in 2006 as an assistant professor and became an associate professor of neuroscience in 2012.
