U. of I. prof to head biology lab

A University of Illinois professor has been chosen to head a federal center for combining biology with computer science, mathematics, engineering and physics at the National Institutes of Health.

Eric Jakobsson is the first permanent head of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Among the center’s tasks is the development of computer tools to study cellular, molecular and developmental biology and computer modeling of biological systems and processes.

“It’s a chance to have a big impact on how this whole field develops in the United States and probably the world,” said Jakobsson, a professor of molecular and integrative physiology and biochemistry who is married to state Rep. Naomi Jakobsson (D- Urbana).

Jakobsson is on loan to the NIH for two years, with the federal agency paying his salary. He retains his university appointments and will continue to work with graduate students on campus.

AP