Heather Pinkett, PhD profile page

Dr. Heather Pinkett began her research career as an undergraduate at Connecticut College in the laboratory of Professor David K. Lewis, where she studied gas-phase kinetics. Following two years of post-baccalaureate research at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGR), as part of the Prostate Investigational Group, she earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in the laboratory of Dr. Mitchell Lewis, focusing on the structure and function of phage transcription factors. She then completed her postdoctoral training with Dr. Douglas Rees at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Pinkett is currently a professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. Her research program investigates the structure, function and regulation of membrane proteins with a particular emphasis on ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, proteins that use ATP hydrolysis to transport substrates across cellular membranes. Her interdisciplinary approach includes biophysical techniques such as X -crystallography and cryo EM to study transporters and associated proteins from fungi and pathogenic bacteria, including those linked to inner ear infections and respiratory disorders. Beyond the research, Pinkett actively contributes to the scientific community. She serves as the Director of the NIH Molecular Biophysics Training Program at Northwestern and is President of the Protein Society and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Molecular Biology.