Antonio José da Costa Filho

Antonio José da Costa Filho received a Bachelor degree in Physics from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 1994. After that he started his Graduate program in the same university, concluding his Masters in 1996. His PhD project was developed both in São Carlos, under the supervision of Prof. Otaciro Nascimento, and in Ithaca (USA), where he spent 3 years as a visiting graduate student at Cornell University, working under Prof. Jack Freed´s supervision. During his PhD, Prof. Antonio Costa worked on the development of new electron magnetic resonance methods for the study of: (1) lipid-protein interactions, (2) the dynamic structure of lipid membranes, and (3) metal centers in protein structure. In 2001 he received his PhD degree in Physics from the University of São Paulo and started working as an Assistant Professor at USP (Campus São Carlos). He is currently Full Professor at USP-Ribeirão Preto and his research interests involve the investigation of interactions between biomolecules with emphasis on how the interaction between proteins and their ligands (substrates, inhibitors, and membranes) can lead to modulation of the protein function. More recently, he also got interested in the structural behavior of proteins involved in the unconventional secretory pathways of the cell, in particular the so-called Golgi Reassembly and Stacking Proteins (GRASPs). To accomplish those objectives his group makes use of a combined and interdisciplinary approach of experimental techniques, such as magnetic resonance, circular dichroism, and microcalorimetry. He has received several awards for his teaching skills as well as for contributions to his specific field of scientific interest. He is a Young Affiliate Alumnus of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and of the World Academy of Sciences, former member and coordinator of the Advisory Committee of the Brazilian National Science Foundation (CNPq) on Biophysics/Biochemistry/Physiology/Pharmacology/Neurosciences, current President of the Brazilian Biophysical Society, and director of the Ribeirão Preto Institute for Advanced Studies of the University of São Paulo. (Fonte: Currículo Lattes)