{"id":10276,"date":"2019-08-07T14:59:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T18:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/?post_type=directory&#038;p=10276"},"modified":"2026-04-09T11:11:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T15:11:04","slug":"rick-baker","status":"publish","type":"directory","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/directory\/rick-baker\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Baker"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span class=\"blue\"><em><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Promoted to <strong>Associate Professor<\/strong> with tenure effective June 1, 2026<\/span><br \/>\n<b>Community Engagement Committee Chair &#8211; <i>Curriculum and Scholarship<\/i><\/b><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span class=\"discreet\">(PhD &#8211; Princeton Univ.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><span class=\"btn btn-large btn-blue xxLargeFont normalSizeFont smallFont\" style=\"color: #ffff00\">ACCEPTING STUDENTS<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Rearch Topics<\/h2>\n<p><strong>structural biology, membrane trafficking, cancer biology, cryo-EM methods development. Our research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We use the tools of cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to study how protein complexes assemble on membranes to bud and fuse vesicles. Specialties: cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, biochemistry, protein purification.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-10603 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2019\/08\/Faculty-OGE-Trained-mentor-badge-400dpi-for-website-300x181.png\" alt=\"Trained Faculty Mentor endorsed by Office of Graduate Ed UNC Chapel Hill\" width=\"300\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2019\/08\/Faculty-OGE-Trained-mentor-badge-400dpi-for-website-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2019\/08\/Faculty-OGE-Trained-mentor-badge-400dpi-for-website-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/795\/2019\/08\/Faculty-OGE-Trained-mentor-badge-400dpi-for-website-1024x619.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Research<\/h2>\n<p>A hallmark of eukaryotic cell biology is a complex and dynamic organellar architecture. The process of forming and maintaining this architecture requires a regulated cycle of budding and fusion events and is broadly called <em>membrane trafficking<\/em>. The Baker lab is interested in understanding the machines that catalyze and regulate membrane trafficking events, with a particular focus on studying systems in their native, membrane-bound state.<\/p>\n<p>A primary focus of the Baker lab is a membrane trafficking event called endocytosis, which allows cells to constantly modulate the composition of their plasma membrane. As cells communicate with their environment through their plasma membrane, precise control of its structure and composition underpins many processes including signaling, synaptic transmission, and host-pathogen interactions. There is emerging evidence that subversion of membrane traffic at the cell surface is a hallmark of many human diseases. In particular, misregulation of signaling proteins at the cell surface (TGF-beta receptor, etc.) may play a pivotal role in cancer development and progression. The Baker lab is interested in understanding the molecular underpinnings of disease, notably cancer, and is a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC).<\/p>\n<p>In the Baker lab, we use a variety of techniques to understand these systems in molecular detail, including high-resolution cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, single-molecule TIRF, and biochemical reconstitution. We are also involved in cryo-EM methods development centered on novel methods for high-resolution structures of membrane-bound proteins, and novel grid supports to overcome resolution limitations of challenging samples. Additionally, we collaborate with several groups that use a variety of model systems, including <em>Saccharomyces<\/em> and C<em>. elegans<\/em>, and experimental approaches like unbiased genetic screens, fitness assays, and live cell microscopy, enabling us to study these systems in a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative manner.<\/p>\n<p>The Baker lab is committed to providing a safe and inclusive training environment that celebrates the diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and contributions of all lab members.<\/p>\n<h2>Publications<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/myncbi\/richard.baker.2\/bibliography\/public\/\">Complete list of publications for Rick Baker<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"discreet\"><span class=\"lt-line-clamp__raw-line\"><span id=\"fbPhotoSnowliftCaption\" class=\"fbPhotosPhotoCaption\" data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}\"><span class=\"hasCaption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rickbakerlab.org\/\">Baker lab website<\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Lab Contact<\/h2>\n<p>120 Mason Farm Rd<br \/>\n3049E GENETIC MEDICINE, Baker lab<br \/>\nCB 7260<br \/>\nChapel Hill, NC 27599-7260<\/p>\n<p>Phone 919-843-9585<\/p>\n<p>Fax: 919-966-2852<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:baker@med.unc.edu\">Email<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Office location<\/h2>\n<p>3044 GENETIC MEDICINE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure effective June 1, 2026 Community Engagement Committee Chair &#8211; Curriculum and Scholarship (PhD &#8211; Princeton Univ.) ACCEPTING STUDENTS Rearch Topics structural biology, membrane trafficking, cancer biology, cryo-EM methods development. Our research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking. We use the tools of cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/directory\/rick-baker\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Rick Baker\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10277,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-10276","directory","type-directory","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rick Baker | Biochemistry and Biophysics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/biochem\/directory\/rick-baker\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rick Baker | Biochemistry and Biophysics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure effective June 1, 2026 Community Engagement Committee Chair &#8211; Curriculum and Scholarship (PhD &#8211; Princeton Univ.) ACCEPTING STUDENTS Rearch Topics structural biology, membrane trafficking, cancer biology, cryo-EM methods development. Our research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms of membrane trafficking. 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Rick"],"_upd_last_name":["Baker"],"_upd_first_name":["Rick"],"_upd_sortorder_override":[],"_upd_sortorder":["1"],"_upd_gallery_summary":["<em><strong><span class=\"blue\"><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Associate Professor<\/span><\/span><\/strong><span class=\"blue\"> with tenure effective June 1, 2026<\/span><strong>\r\n<span class=\"blue\"><b>Community Engagement Committee Chair, <i>Curriculum and Scholarship<\/i><\/b><\/span>\r\n<\/strong><\/em>\r\n\r\nResearch: Structural biology, membrane trafficking, cancer biology, cryo-EM methods development.\r\n\r\n<strong>TRAINED MENTOR\r\n<\/strong><strong><span style=\"background-color: #4682b4;color: #ffffff\">Accepting Rotation Students<\/span><\/strong>\r\n\r\nCB# 7260, lab 3049E Genetic Medicine\r\nOffice 3044 Genetic Medicine\r\n919-843-9585 <a href=\"mailto:baker@med.unc.edu\">Email<\/a>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rickbakerlab.org\/\">Baker Lab Website<\/a>"],"_upd_no_link":[],"_upd_degree1":[],"_upd_degree2":[],"_upd_email":[[{"email_text":"baker@med.unc.edu"}]],"_upd_phone":[],"_upd_address":[[{"address":{"address-1":"120 Mason Farm Rd","address-2":"3044 GENETIC MEDICINE, Baker lab","campus-box":"CB 7260","city":"Chapel 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