Edwin Rivera - USF :: Chemistry Department - University of South ...

Department of Chemistry
University of South Florida
4202 E Fowler Ave
CHE 205
Tampa Florida 33647
813-974-0013
erivera@cas.usf.edu
Edwin Rivera
EMPLOYMENT
2004- PRESENT RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY,
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, TAMPA FL
EDUCATION
1999 -2004 NMR Application Scientist, Department of Medicinal Chemistry &
Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
1996-1999 NMR Specialist, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Molecular
Biology & Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1994 - 96 POST DOC, University of Chicago, Chicago IL with Michael
Weiss
1992-94 POST DOC, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA with Michael
Weiss
1991-92 POST DOC, Yale, New Haven, CT with Joseph Coleman
1985-90 Ph.D.,University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC with Paul Ellis
1983-85 Graduate School University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
with Robert Schuler
1979-83 B.S. Chemistry, Catholic University of P. R., Ponce, PR
HONORS AND AWARDS
1994-1996 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Fellow
1992-1994 NFS Postdoctoral Felow
1983-1990 MARC Predoctoral Fellow
1982-1983 MARC undergraduate Fellow
MARC: Minority Access to Research Careers

GRANTS OR SOURCES OF FUNDING
� “Develpoment of novel antiviral compounds for influenza”, Southeast Regional
Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense SERBCE, Co-Pi,
submitted Jan 2006, amount requested $200,000.00.
� “Develpoment of novel antiviral compounds for influenza”, Interdisciplinary Pilot
research Grant Program Co-Sponsored by USF Health Office of Research And
USF Health, Division of Sponsored Research, USF Co-PI, submitted Jan 2006,
amount requested $20,000.00.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
University of South Florida
� Director of the university of South Florida Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility.
Purdue University
� At Purdue University share responsibilities in education of researchers students,
postdocs and staff members.
� Instruction, training and supervision of staffs and graduate teaching assistants.
� Updating of NMR facilities including hardware, computer resources, to a state-of the art
facility for the higher filed instruments which provides users with the latest hardware
development in NMR and pulse sequences.
� Management and operations of a hybrid facility with 10 NMR instruments represented
by 4 different manufacturer and 20 years of spectrometer generations.
� Design and implementation of modern NMR experiment as well as data interpretation.
� Implementation of automated software for both instrument manufacturers.
� Outside consulting for local pharmaceutical at both levels personal and for the NMR
facility establishing the link between industry and academics.\
� Active participation in the generation of funds for new and upgrades of the NMR
spectrometers and computers.
� Trouble shooting both at the hardware and the software level.
Northwestern University
� Joined Northwestern University in October 1996 in the capacity of NMR specialist in
the department chemistry and biochemistry. I was responsible for NMR education and
training of postdoc graduate students and professors, networking, maintenance and
implementation of new experiments, software and methods. I was directly involved in
the modernization of the facility by providing intellectual inputs to proposals submitted

to NSF and NIH which were successfully funded.
� Research collaboration whilst at Northwestern resulted in publications of pear review
journals i.e.” Biochemistry”. Similar collaborative work in on the way at Purdue.
University of Chicago & Harvard Medical School
� Postdoctoral fellow from 1992 to 1996 at the University of Chicago and Harvard Medical
School in the laboratory of Michael Weiss. Principal research projects, DNA binding
proteins i.e. SRY and structural elucidation of the C terminal domain of the Lambda
Repressor. Publications as a result of this work are on hold by principal investigator.
Besides the NMR structural analysis and sequential assignment of the protein by
multidimensional NMR the followings molecular and biochemical research activities
were part of my activities:
� Isolation, optimization and purification of proteins. Proteins were isolated using the Nitag
technique followed by FPLC and thrombin cleavage of the His-tag
� Synthesis and purification of DNA. Synthesized DNA for structural studies of the
Protein-DNA complex by NMR and gel shift assays.
� Optimization and trouble shooting of HPLC methods for isolation and purification of
DNA
� Synthesis and purification of isotopically ( 13 C/ 15 N ) labeling of proteins from bacteria
using enriched and minimum media.
� Characterization by Circular Dichroism (CD), Calorimetry, Dynamic Light Scattering
(DLS), Ultracentrifugation and Gel electrophoresis.
Yale
� From 1991 to 1992 postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of professor Joseph Coleman
at Yale. Training in biochemistry and molecular biology of proteins and use of
multidimensional NMR of biomolecules. We studied the transcription factor GAL4
(DNA binding Domain) resulting in a pear review publication in Biochemistry. Also did
preliminary NMR studies on the Lac-9 and optimized and established a purification
protocol for this protein, via crystallization procedures.
University of South Carolina
� Graduated with a Ph.D. in 1990 from professor Paul D. Ellis at the University of South
Carolina. The title of my Dissertation is: “Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Spectroscopy and 113 Cd Shielding Tensor Studies of Carboxypeptidase-A and some
Inhibitors and Substrate Complexes” Three publications resulted for the dissertation
work and one is still pending on the result of Zn67 studies been conducted at Battle
Pacific Northwest Laboratory.
� Graduated studies at Notre Dame. Area of investigation was Radiation Chemistry.
Resulted in a publication in a peer review journal.
RESEARCH INTEREST

� Application of state-of-the-art NMR pulse sequences for the determination of protein
structures and small molecules.
� The modernization and automatization of structure assignments and structure calculation
of proteins.
� Implementation of cadmium-113 and other metal’s shielding tensor as spin spies to the
metal binding site of proteins.
� Development of super-cooled aqueous solution for the studies of intermediates in
equilibrium processes.
PUBLICATIONS
� Gregory A. Hunter, Edwin Rivera, Gloria C. Ferreira “Supraphysiological concentrations
of 5-aminolevulinic acid dimerizein solution to produce superoxide radical anions via a
protonated dihydropyrazine intermediate”, Archives of Biochem & Bioph_437_128-
137_2005.
� Deanna J. Mitchell, Dejan Nikolic, Edwin Rivera, Sergey O. Sablin, Sun Choi, Richard
B. van Breemen, Thomas P. Singer, and Richard B. Silverman "Structural Evidence For
the Flavin-1-phenylcyclopropylamine Inactivator Adduct of Monoamine Oxidase N",
Biochemistry 2001, 40, 5447-5456.
� Brian F. Volkman, Qunying Zhang, Dimitri Debabov, Edwin Rivera, Gordon
Kresheck, Francis Neuhaus “ Biosynthesis of D-Alanyl-Lipoteichoic Acid: Solution
Structure of apo-D-Alanyl Carrier Protein.”Biochemistry, 2001, 40, 7964-7972.
� Edwin Rivera and Paul D. Ellis “ 113 Cd Shielding Tensors of Cadmium Compounds: 8.
Solid State 113 Cd NMR Studies of bis(Glycine) Cadmium Chloride.” Inorganic
Chemistry (1992), 31, 2096-2103.
�
Coleman, J.E., Gardner, K.H., Pan, T., Basile, L. and Rivera, E. (1992) Zn 2Cys 6,
Zn 1Cys 4 and Cd 2Cys 6 complexes of the DNA-binding domain of the GAL4
transcription factor. J. Cell. Biochem., Supplement 16D, 120.
� Gardner, Kevin, H.; Pan, Tao; Narual, Surrinder; Rivera, Edwin and Coleman, Joseph
E. “Structure of the Binuclear Metal Binding Site in the GAL4 Transcription Factor”,
Biochemistry (1992), 30, 11292-11302.
� Edwin Rivera, Michael A. Kennedy and Paul D. Ellis “ 113 Cd NMR of Cd 2+ Substituted
Carboxypeptidase-A�: A Perspective from 113 Cd Shielding Tensors.” Advances in
Magnetic Resonance (1989), vol. 13, 257-273, Academic Press.
� Edwin Rivera, Michael A. Kennedy, Richard D. Adams and Paul D. Ellis “ 113 Cd
Shielding Tensors of Cadmium Compounds: 7. X-ray Structure and 113 Cd NMR
Studies of poly-bis(acetato)-bis(imidazole) Cadmium(II). A model Compound for
Carboxypeptidase-A and Thermolysin.” Journal American Chemical Society (1990),

ABSTRACTS
112(4), 1400-1407.
� Edwin Rivera and Robert H. Schuler “Intermediates in the Reduction of 5-Halouracils
by eaq -1 .” Journal of Physical Chemistry, (1983), 87, 3966.
� CT-13C-HSQC Revisited, Edwin Rivera & Klaas Hallenga Varian NMR users
Meeting, Workshop: Protein Pacxk April 13, 2002.
� Host and chair of the 28 th Chicago Area NMR Discussion Group held on November
7 th 1998. A local regional meeting with over 150 attendants. Key Note Speaker Gary
Drobny from Washington University.
� Zang Q; Debavov,D.V.; Rivera Edwin; Neuhaus, F.C. “Biosynthessis of apo- D-
Alanyl-Lipotheichoic Acid:Secondary Structure of the apo-D-Alanyl Carrier Protein.
97 th American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, Miami Beach Florida, Dec
11, 1996.
� Edwin Rivera, Qunying Zhang, Dimitri Debabov,, Brain Volkman, Gordon Kresheck,
Francis Neuhaus “Solution Structure of D-Alanyl-Lipoteichoic Acid: Solution
Structure of apo-D-Alanyl Carrier Protein.” Presented at the 40th ENC in Orlando Fl,
Feb 28 th -March 5 th 1999.
MEMBERSHIPS
American Chemical Society
ACCREDITATIONS
College of Chemist of Puerto Rico