New Mexico State professor awarded Fulbright scholarship

LAS CRUCES — New Mexico State University hailed the award of a prestigious Fulbright U.S. scholarship to biochemistry professor Erik Yukl on Tuesday.

Yukl, who joined NMSU’s faculty in 2013, will spend three months in Argentina to conduct research at the Leloir Institute in Buenos Aires through the scholarship, the university stated in a news release.

His research area is the movement of proteins, toward understanding cellular function and developing new antibiotics targeting drug-resistant bacteria. At the Leloir Institute, Yukl will conduct research using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a technology Yukl said NMSU has recently acquired. “This experience will enable me to make full use of our instrument and to train others,” he said in the release.

Yukl is part of a team developing antibiotics using substances that disrupt the activity of proteins that transport zinc ions, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

“This helps us determine how they function, and how we can build molecules that will disrupt that function to treat bacterial infections,” Yukl said. “This is especially important as a number of bacteria have become resistant to all, or nearly all, currently available antibiotics.”

Yukl completed his doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland in 2009, followed by three years of postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota. At NMSU, he has earned faculty honors and served as graduate program coordinator for his department.

Founded in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program awards hundreds of grants annually for U.S. researchers to study or teach abroad and for foreign scholars to visit the United States. The Fulbright program also awards thousands of students, scholars, artists and others each year.

This spring, the program appeared to be endangered, following reports of proposed cuts to the U.S. State Department budget, including Fulbright awards and other international exchange programs. Earlier this month, however, a draft appropriations bill included at least $287.8 million for the Fulbright program, out of $700 million allocated to educational and cultural exchange programs.

“This funding reaffirms the U.S. commitment to global engagement, mutual understanding, and academic diplomacy,” the Fulbright Association said in a written statement.

Attesting to the Fulbrights’ value, Yukl said: “In addition to outstanding training opportunities within my field, I’ll also have the opportunity to really experience another culture by living within it for several months. This encourages mutual understanding and appreciation between people who would not otherwise be likely to interact.”