Proteomics leader driven by thrill of discovery

Science has always been about discovery. Finding out why things work, looking for answers to the great questions of life and finding cures and vaccines for the world's biggest and most threatening diseases make science so satisfying to many scientists. The drive and thrill of discovery is the ultimate endeavor for chemistry head David Clemmer.\nWhat if science could cure many of the diseases of today? That's what the emerging field of proteomics aims to do, and Clemmer, a leader in this new field, looks to this as a goal.\n"Proteomics is the science of understanding how genes are expressed in a cell at the protein level," Clemmer said. \nIt's also about understanding the physical nature of life at that level, he said. By manipulating and changing the proteins, it might be possible to cure certain diseases. Proteomics is also a relatively new field, having only been in existence for about five or six years. \nClemmer began his journey into proteomics in a very interesting way. \nHe did his undergraduate work at Adams State College, in Colorado. Originally a music major, he switched to chemistry because he needed a work-study job and the chair of the department wouldn't give him a job unless he declared himself a chemistry major. He then took general chemistry, which eventually led him to become a chemist. \nClemmer has always been interested in how things work. The idea of understanding things fundamentally was another interest, and his undergraduate mathematics teacher inspired him in this regard.\nAfter he got his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Utah in 1992, he did postdoctoral work in physical chemistry and quantum mechanics in Japan. He also went to Northwestern University to pursue a second doctoral degree. \nClemmer came to IU in 1995 because, at the time, IU had the No. 2 analytical chemistry team in the country, he said. \nAt his own lab at IU, he and his team developed an observation technique using spectrometers, but had one problem -- they needed something to test it on. It was at this time that proteomics emerged as a field. This was the perfect field for Clemmer and his team on which to use their new technique, and their technique became the major method used to analyze and study proteomics. By being in the right place at the right time, Clemmer's career in proteomics began. \nIt has paid off. He was named as one of Popular Science magazine's "10 Most Brilliant" two years ago.\nBut for Clemmer, his payoff still comes down to one of his favorite things: the element of discovery. He said he loves finding something new, something that no one else has found out yet. \n"It's like Christmas for me," he said.\nAlthough he enjoys teaching, as the chair of the chemistry department he rarely has the time. But Clemmer said he is going back to teaching next semester because he misses it so much. \nHe said he also thoroughly enjoys working with graduate students. Clemmer said he thinks his influence on them and vice versa is one of the most rewarding parts of his job. They feed off each other for ideas and inspiration, and Clemmer said he's grateful for the people who surround him. \nDoctoral candidate Amy Hilderbrand is one of those people. She said he's helped her in more than one way.\n"David is a very personable advisor," Hilderbrand said. "I think that he's helped me grow as a scientist and as a person."\nClemmer stresses that the contributions of others are important to his research. His work really wouldn't be possible without the support staff and resources he has. \nStormy Koeniger, one of his graduate students and participants in his research group, said Clemmer makes it a point to never use the word "impossible." \n"Sometimes Dr. Clemmer has envisioned an impossible scientific experiment, or what might seem to be impossible," Koeniger said, "but after it has been accomplished, new science is ahead of us."\n-- Contact staff writer Nathan Tomlanovich at ntomlano@indiana.edu.