Subgroups

As the Biophysical Society continues to grow, the Society's Subgroups allow members to meet and interact within more focused areas in smaller groups. Subgroups hold scientific symposia and business meetings each year on the Saturday that starts the Annual Meeting. They also sponsor several awards, including the Student Research Achievement Awards (SRAA) Poster Competition. Membership to the Society's Subgroups is open to all members.

BPS Council is excited to launch a new Subgroup Incubator Program for those interested in establishing a recurring meeting for an underserved research topic area or demographic. The incubator program is envisioned as a mechanism to explore new topic areas and determine whether there are opportunities within an existing Subgroup to foster an ad hoc group or see whether a new Subgroup may emerge. Ad hoc groups may run incubator events for two years to demonstrate continued, sustained interest in the topic before pursuing Subgroup status. Details about the incubator program are currently in development. Contact [email protected] with questions.

Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization

The Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation, & Visualization Subgroup focuses on the detailed mechanistic research of biomolecular processes using single-molecule tools that apply forces, manipulate objects, and/or acquire images or other optical signals.

The Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Subgroup focuses on the detailed mechanistic research of biomolecular processes using single-molecule tools that apply forces, manipulate objects, and/or acquire images or other optical signals.

The Subgroup is open to researchers that address biological questions at the molecular scale using force and/or single-molecule fluorescence (e.g. DNA/RNA-protein interactions, protein folding, protein droplets, molecular motors, etc.). The Subgroup aims to advance the field of single-molecule biophysics through the presentation of novel findings, and exchange of advances in innovative methods, tools, and assays to tackle all possible steps from experimental design to data analysis. We invite participants from all scientific disciplines, from biophysics and structural biology, to biochemistry, molecular biology, and beyond.

Join the Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Subgroup

In order to join the Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Subgroup, you must be a member of the Society.

Lucy Brennan, Co-Chair (2024-2025)

David Rueda, Co-Chair (2024-2025)

Jinqing Huang, Co-Chair Elect (2024-2025)

Keith Mickolajczyk, Co-Chair Elect (2024-2025)

Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation, & Visualization Subgroup Bylaws

Article I
Purpose: Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization (FM&V) Subgroup focuses on the detailed mechanistic research of biomolecular processes using dynamic single-molecule tools that combine force with imaging or optical signals. The Subgroup aims to advance the field of FM&V through the presentation of novel findings, and exchange of advances in innovative methods, tools, and assays to tackle all possible steps from experimental design to data analysis.

Article II
Membership: Members of the Biophysical Society may join the FM&V Subgroup; non-members of the Biophysical Society are welcome to attend Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation, and Visualization Subgroup symposia but are unable to join the Subgroup, serve as Officers of the Subgroup, or vote.

Article III
Dissolution: The FM&V Subgroup must be in accordance with the Biophysical Society’s constitution and bylaws, mission, values, goals, and operational guidelines. If the subgroup is found in violation of their bylaws or Society’s guidelines, the group will be placed on probation and may be dissolved at the discretion of the Council of the Biophysical Society.

Article IV
Meetings: Business meetings shall be held in connection with the annual scientific meeting of the Biophysical Society. Five percent of the members of the BPS Subgroup or 10 members, whichever is smaller, shall constitute a quorum. Scientific meetings shall be held in association with the annual Biophysical Society meetings, and must follow the guidelines established by the BPS Council. The members attending an Annual Meeting can transact Subgroup business by a simple majority vote.

Article V

Officers: The officers of the Subgroup will be two Subgroup co-Chairs and two past Co-Chairs. The Co-Chairs shall serve as such for one year beginning immediately after the annual meeting in which they are elected and will serve as past Co-Chairs the following year. Duties of the Subgroup Co-Chairs are to organize and conduct Subgroup Meetings, to advise the Biophysical Society of the activities and needs of the Subgroup, to advise the Society on matters related to dynamic single-molecule research and to any other activities the Co-Chairs deem to be beneficial to the Subgroup and the Society.

Article VI
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will be responsible for fulfilling the scientific and business obligations of the group. The Executive Committee will consist of the Officers: Co-Chairs and Past-Co-Chairs. The Executive Committee shall have the power to conduct business by means of electronic vote. The affairs of the Subgroup shall be handled by the Officers in accordance with the policies determined by the Executive Committee and the Biophysical Society Council.

Article VII
Nominating Committee: The members of the Executive Committee shall constitute the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for soliciting nominations from Subgroup membership and for preparing the final slate of candidates. Nominations will be received electronically up to one month prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. Nominees must accept their nomination prior to being placed on a ballot. It is the intent of the Group that the co-Chairs shall rotate so as to represent fairly the different specialties within the membership.

Article VIII
Eligibility for Office: Only members of the FM&V Group may be candidates for offices. Members may not be elected to one office more than every five years.

Article IX
Elections: Elections will be held electronically up to two weeks prior to the Subgroup’s business meeting. The candidates for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. The results will be announced to the Subgroup’s membership during the Subgroup’s business meeting. Officers will take office at the end of the annual business meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society. Interim vacancies in officers or councilors will be filled in accordance with Bylaw Article VII of the Biophysical Society.

2023-2024

Neva Caliskan, Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infecttion Research

Nils Walter, University of Michigan

2022-2023

Zev Bryant, Stanford University

Wesley Wong, Harvard University

Founding Co-Chairs (2021-2022)

Laura Finzi, Emory College

Mark Williams, Northeastern University