Paul Baures
Degrees: BS Chemistry, Winona State University; MS Organic Chemistry, University of Minnesota; PhD Medicinal Chemistry, University of Minnesota; Postdoctoral research in Bioorganic Chemistry, Texas A&M
Interests: Professional interests include drug discovery efforts with research on the structure and function of biomolecules or small molecules with bioactivity. Application of my research includes infectious diseases like AIDS, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis, as well as application to cancer treatment. I am interested in researching Lyme Disease at KSC, and I’ve also recently started a project to create antifreeze coatings that could protect power lines, airplane wings, or wind turbines from winter storms.
Background: Over a decade of teaching and research at several institutions, including Kansas State University (five years), Bowdoin College (two years), and The University of Tulsa (six years). My teaching has included courses designed for non-scientists to upper-level graduate courses and has spanned the fields of organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and biochemistry. I also have three years of pharmaceutical research experience with SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline), and I worked with Signature BioScience, a biotechnology startup.
Awards: I received an Impact Award while at SmithKline Beecham and was awarded NIH pre- and postdoctoral fellowships and a Big XII faculty fellowship.
Representative Publications: Parallel synthesis of an oligomeric imidazole-4,5-dicarboxamide library. Xu, Z.; DiCesare, J. C.; Baures, P. W. J. Comb. Chem. 2010. 12:248–254.
Imidazole-4,5-dicarboxylic acid: A versatile scaffold for drug discovery and materials research. Baures, P. W. Trends in Heterocyclic Chemistry. 2006. 11:1–22.
Small molecule inhibition of Hepatitis C virus E2 binding to CD81. VanCompernolle, S.; Wiznycia, A. V.; Rush, J. R.; Dhanasekaran, M.; Baures, P. W.; Todd, S. C. Virology. 2003. 314:371–380.
Goals: My goal is to help the Chemistry Department equip students with the fundamentals necessary to succeed in their next career step, be it graduate school, a professional program such as medical school, or the workforce. I hope to offer classes that excite the students and prepare them for lifelong learning, and I intend to train students to conduct high-quality research. Undergraduate researchers working in my laboratory will learn to design and execute their own experiments, and to interpret their results.
Personal: Married to Lisa Thompson (a certified research administrator). We have a dog (Gracie) that is a shepherd mix, plus a cat (Sophie) that just joined our family this fall. We enjoy hiking, gardening, or anything else outdoors.