Full CV.

Current Position

Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at California State University, Northridge

Education

2008 Ph.D., Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Canada.
Advisors: Dr. Jack Tuszynski and Dr. Andriy Kovalenko
2000 B.Sc. Specialization Physics. University of Alberta, Canada.

Research Experience

Postdoctoral Associate
BioMaPS Institute, Rutgers University, USA.
Advisor: Dr. David A. Case
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada
National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council, Canada.
Advisor: Dr. Andriy Kovalenko
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Canada
Advisor: Dr. Jack Tuszynski
Industrial Internship
Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS)
National Institute for Nanotechnology, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Andriy Kovalenko
Research Assistant
Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Undergraduate Summer Research Assistant
Department of Physics, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Supervisor: Dr. Jenifer Thewalt

Teaching

PHYS 100B General Physics II
Electricity and magnetism, light, and modern physics for non-physics majors.
PHYS 227 Physics III
Introduction to thermodynamics, relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic physics and particle physics for physics majors.
PHYS 365 Experimental Physics I
Introduction to computational physics.
PHYS 490 Computer Applications in Physics
Upper division computational physics and numerical methods.
PHYS 431 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
Upper division thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of weakly interacting classical and quantum systems.

Funding

Current Funding

PI, National Science Foundation Grant #2102668

Co-PI, Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Collaborative Award

Sponsor, Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Postbac Award

Past Funding

Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE) Research Allocation TG-MCB190048

Research Corporation for Science Advancement Cottrell Scholar Award #23967

Principle Investigator, National Science Foundation Grant #1566638

California State University Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) New Investigator Grant

Refereed Publications

[1] Casillas L, Grigorian VM, Luchko T (2023) Identifying systematic force field errors using a 3D-RISM element counting correction. Molecules, 28(3):925. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28030925
[2] Greene D, Barton M, Luchko T, Shiferaw Y (2022) Molecular dynamics simulations of the cardiac ryanodine Receptor2 type 2 (RyR2) gating mechanism. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 126(47):9790–9809. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c03031
[3] Greene D, Luchko T, Shiferaw Y (2022) The role of subunit cooperativity on ryanodine receptor 2 calcium signaling. Biophysical Journal, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2022.11.008
[4] Wilson L, Krasny R, Luchko T (2022) Accelerating the 3D reference interaction site model theory of molecular solvation with treecode summation and cut-offs. Journal of Computational Chemistry, 43(18):1251–1270. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcc.26889
[5] Gray JG, Giambaşu GM, Case DA, Luchko T (2022) Integral equation models for solvent in macromolecular crystals. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 156(1):014801. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0070869
[6] Greene D, Barton M, Luchko T, Shiferaw Y (2021) Computational Analysis of Binding Interactions between the Ryanodine Receptor Type 2 and Calmodulin. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 125(38):10720–10735. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c03896
[7] Olson B, Cruz A, Chen L, Ghattas M, Ji Y, Huang K, Ayoub S, Luchko T, McKay DJ, Kurtzman T (2020) An online repository of solvation thermodynamic and structural maps of SARS-CoV-2 targets. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design, 34(12):1219–1228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10822-020-00341-x
[8] McMillin PJ, Alegrete M, Peric M, Luchko T (2020) Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of four nitroxide probes in supercooled water explained by molecular dynamics simulations. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 124(19):3962–3972. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c00684
[9] Tsednee T, Luchko T (2019) Closure for the Ornstein-Zernike equation with pressure and free energy consistency. Physical Review E, 99(3):032130. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.99.032130
[10] Nguyen C, Yamazaki T, Kovalenko A, Case DA, Gilson MK, Kurtzman T, Luchko T (2019) A molecular reconstruction approach to site-based 3D-RISM and comparison to GIST hydration thermodynamic maps in an enzyme active site. PloS One, 14(7):e0219473. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219473
[11] Johnson J, Case DA, Yamazaki T, Gusarov S, Kovalenko A, Luchko T (2016) Small molecule hydration energy and entropy from 3D-RISM. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 28(34):344002. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-8984/28/34/344002
[12] Luchko T, Blinov N, Limon GC, Joyce KP, Kovalenko A (2016) SAMPL5: 3D-RISM partition coefficient calculations with partial molar volume corrections and solute conformational sampling. Journal of Computer-Aided Molecular Design, :1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10822-016-9947-7
[13] Giambaşu GM, Gebala MK, Panteva MT, Luchko T, Case DA, York DM (2015) Competitive interaction of monovalent cations with DNA from 3D-RISM. Nucleic Acids Research, :gkv830. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkv830
[14] Giambaşu^* GM, Luchko^* T, Herschlag D, York DM, Case DA (2014) Ion counting from explicit-solvent simulations and 3D-RISM. Biophysical Journal, 106(4):883–894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2014.01.021
[15] Joung IS, Luchko T, Case DA (2013) Simple electrolyte solutions: Comparison of DRISM and molecular dynamics results for alkali halide solutions. J Chem Phys, 138:044103. https://doi.org/doi:10.1063/1.4775743
[16] Luchko T, Case DA (2012) Implicit solvent models and electrostatics in molecular recognition. Protein-ligand interactions, :171–189. https://doi.org/10.1002/9783527645947.ch9/summary
[17] Luchko T, Joung IS, Case DA (2012) Integral equation theory of biomolecules and electrolytes. Innovations in biomolecular modeling and simulation, :51–86. https://doi.org/10.1039/9781849735049-00051
[18] Freedman H, Luchko T, Luduena RF, Tuszynski JA (2011) Molecular dynamics modeling of tubulin C-terminal tail interactions with the microtubule surface. Proteins, 79(10):2968–2982. https://doi.org/10.1002/prot.23155
[19] Genheden S, Luchko T, Gusarov S, Kovalenko A, Ryde U (2010) An MM/3D-RISM approach for ligand binding affinities. J Phys Chem B, 114(25):8505–8516. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp101461s
[20] Luchko T, Gusarov S, Roe DR, Simmerling C, Case DA, Tuszynski J, Kovalenko A (2010) Three-dimensional molecular theory of solvation coupled with molecular dynamics in Amber. J Chem Theory Comput, 6(3):607–624. https://doi.org/10.1021/ct900460m
[21] Bennett MJ, Chik JK, Slysz GW, Luchko T, Tuszynski J, Sackett DL, Schriemer DC (2009) Structural mass spectrometry of the \(\alpha\beta\)-tubulin dimer supports a revised model of microtubule assembly. Biochemistry, 48:4858–4870. https://doi.org/10.1021/bi900200q
[22] Barakat KH, Huzil JT, Luchko T, Jordheim L, Dumontet C, Tuszynski J (2009) Characterization of an inhibitory dynamic pharmacophore for the ERCC1-XPA interaction using a combined molecular dynamics and virtual screening approach. J Mol Graph Model, 28:113–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmgm.2009.04.009
[23] Tuszyński JA, Malinski W, Carpenter EJ, Luchko T, Torin Huzil J, Ludeña RF (2008) Tubulin electrostatics and isotype specific drug binding. Canadian Journal of Physics, 86(4):635–640. https://doi.org/10.1139/p07-199
[24] Luchko T, Huzil JT, Stepanova M, Tuszynski J (2008) Conformational analysis of the carboxy-terminal tails of human \(\beta\)-tubulin isotypes. Biophys J, 94:1971–1982. https://doi.org/10.1529/biophysj.107.115113
[25] Freedman H, Huzil T, Luchko T, Luduena R, Tuszynski JA (2008) Identification and characterization of an intermediate taxol binding site within microtubule nanopores and a mechanism for tubulin isotype binding selectivity. J Chem Inf Model, 49:424–436. https://doi.org/10.1021/ci8003336
[26] Tuszynski JA, Carpenter EJ, Huzil JT, Malinski W, Luchko T, Luduena RF (2006) The evolution of the structure of tubulin isoforms and its potential consequences for the role and function of microtubules in cells and embryos. Int J Dev Biol, 50:341–58. https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.052063jt
[27] Tuszynski JA, Luchko T, Portet S, Dixon JM (2005) Anisotropic elastic properties of microtubules. Eur Phys J E Soft Matter, 17(1):29–35. https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2004-10102-5
[28] Tuszynski JA, Luchko T, Carpenter EJ, Crawford E (2004) Results of molecular dynamics computations of the structural and electrostatic properties of tubulin and their consequences for microtubules. J Comput Theor Nanosci, 1(4):392–397. https://doi.org/10.1166/jctn.2004.042