July 1, 20087/1/08 Seth Stevenson 0 comments Share

Wayne Wilson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at Des Moines University in the biochemistry & nutrition department specializing in metabolic regulation. When Wilson was 5 years old, he was given a toy microscope to play with and ever since he can remember, he has always dreamed of becoming a scientist. In June 2008, Dr. Wilson was awarded $150,000 to use over a 3-year period with an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) grant for his project entitled, “Novel mechanisms that regulate glycogen storage in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.”

Facts about Dr. Wilson:

• Hometown: Cupar, a small town on the Northeast coast of Scotland
• Education: Received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biochemistry from the University of Dundee, Scotland.
• Hobbies: Finding new restaurants, trying new foods, cooking…Pretty much anything food-related.
• Dr. Wilson’s favorite thing to eat: His mother-in-law’s shio saba (partially dried, salted mackerel)

Current research projects:

• 1. Identifying processes that control glycogen storage and the use.
• 2. Collaborating with Dr. Andy Brittingham and researching the relationship of glycogen levels to growth of the sexually transmitted pathogen Trichomonas Vaginalis.