Kristen M. Varney

Kristen M. Varney is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, serving as Manager of the UMB NMR Core Facility and Section Leader for Structural Biology at the Center for Biotechnology (CBT).

Education:

• BS in Chemistry, University of Colorado, 1999
• BS in Biology, University of Colorado, 1999
• PhD in Molecular & Cell Biology, University of Maryland, 2004

Research Focus: Dr. Varney specializes in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for structural characterization of proteins and biomolecular complexes. Her work bridges drug design and structural biology, with emphasis on protein dynamics, ligand interactions, and antibiotic development against bacterial targets. She implements advanced NMR techniques to analyze protein therapeutics and small-molecule inhibitors.

Publication Trends: Her 2002-2013 publications reveal consistent expertise in calcium-binding proteins (S100B/S100A4) using integrated NMR/crystallography approaches. Key themes include protein conformational changes upon ligand binding, antibiotic mechanisms targeting lipid II, and structural dynamics of EF-hand mutants, demonstrating cross-disciplinary impact in microbiology and pharmaceutical sciences.

Facility Leadership: Dr. Varney manages the UMB NMR Core Facility's 600/800/950 MHz spectrometers, supporting >20 NIH-funded projects. She provides end-to-end training in sample preparation, experimental execution, and data analysis for protein structure/dynamics studies, enabling structural characterization of therapeutic complexes across campus research initiatives.