Mike Wilson was thrown out of MIT in 1981 with a BS in chemistry. In 1988, He was similarly ejected from UC Berkeley with a PhD in physical chemistry. Having grown craftier (and somewhat heavier set) in the intervening years, he was not actually physically removed from the campus until he had sneaked in a postdoc. Since that time, he has left behind a scattered string of postdoctoral positions throughout the San Francisco bay area, before joining UCSF as a postdoc in 1993. UCSF got tired of this in 1996, and promoted him to Assistant Researcher in Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

His research interests focus on the structure of aqueous interfaces and bilayer membranes and the transport of material across these membranes. In other words, he studies how stuff gets thrown out of cells. He does this by throwing large numbers of molecules onto a computer and solving the equations of motion in Molecular Dynamics simulations.

He has maintained his connection with the NASA-Ames Research Center since his tenure as an NRC Postdoc (1990-1991). While this is purported to study the effects of interfaces on the structure of prebiotic organic molecules, such as might be thrown out of comets, close friends suspect that his ultimate intent is to get thrown off the planet. In the meantime, he consoles himself by getting thrown out of bars and assorted musical gatherings by playing the saxophone.

Here is a list of my publications, and some abstracts.

PDF of a recent talk "Peptides at Membrane Surfaces and their role in Prebiotic Evolution" at the Astrobiology Sciences Conference, 2002.

One day I will put in some links that I find interesting.

You can even send me e-mail.

Or you can write me:   Michael A. Wilson
                                      MS 239-4
                                      NASA Ames Research Center
                                      Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000