Dr. Hank Bestman

Vice-President Academic
Professor of Biology and Biochemistry

Office: A105
Phone: 780-465-3500 ext. 8047
Email: hank.bestman@kingsu.ca

Education

Ph.D. (Weed Science), University of Alberta, 1988
M.Sc. (Weed Science), University of Alberta, 1982
B.A. (Biology/Chemistry), Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, USA, 1979
Ing. (Agriculture), Christelijke Hogere Landbouw School, Dronten, The Netherlands, 1970

Research Interests

● Carbon metabolism in algae
● Computational modeling of cellular biological process
● Complexity and emergence in a systems understanding of biological organisms

Current Research

● Laboratory-based experimental research on the influence of nutritional conditions on carbon metabolism in the alga Neochloris oleoabundans
● Theoretical reflections on the relationship between complexity and emergence from a systems biology perspective
● Use of published computational models in teaching control of cellular dynamics

Recent Presentations

Bestman*, H.D. and K.J. Ooms. Introducing the dynamics of metabolic regulation and fluxomics to undergraduate students using published mathematical models. 11th International Conference on Systems Biology, October 10-14, 2010, Edinburgh, UK.

Bestman* H.D. and J.B. Brandsma. Post-genomic biology: from molecular to systems? Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation, July 30-Aug. 2, 2010, Washington, DC.

Brandsma*, J.B. and H.D. Bestman. Systems biology and the definition of emergence. Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation, July 30-Aug. 2, 2010, Washington, DC.

Bestman*, H.D. and J.B. Brandsma. Systems biology – a sampling of research approaches and in silico tools. Annual Meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation, July 30-Aug. 2, 2010, Washington, DC.

Bestman*, H.D., K.J. Ooms, and J.B. Brandsma. Metabolic labeling studies with the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under heterotrophic and mixotrophic growing conditions. Fifth International Conference of the Metabolomics Society, August 30-Sept. 2, 2009, Edmonton, AB.

Brandsma*, J.B., H.D. Bestman, K.J. Ooms, and J.A. Westerhuis. NMR and algal metabolomics – identification of nutritionally-induced biomarkers. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists, July 18-22, 2009, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Bestman*, H.D., J.B. Brandsma, J.A. Westerhuis, and K.J. Ooms. Metabolic profiles of the freshwater alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii determined by 1H NMR and cross model validation and permutation testing. Annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists, June 12-15, 2009, Burnaby, B.C.

Manuscripts Accepted for Publication

Cook, H. and H.D. Bestman. Biological Complexity. Submitted to Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, September 2011.

Manuscripts in Preparation

Bestman, H.D. and H. Cook. Post-genomic Biology: from Molecular to Systems. To be submitted to Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.

Cook, H., H.D. Bestman, and J.B. VanderVeen. Emergence in Systems Biology. To be submitted to Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith.

Bestman, H.D. and K.J. Ooms. Computer-controlled system for labeling algal cultures with ¹³CO₂.

Courses I Teach

BIOL 391 - Experimental Methods in Biology
BIOL 470 - Biochemistry I (lectures only)
BIOL 471 - Biochemistry II (lectures only)
BIOL 478 - Modeling in Biology

Related Links

Chemistry Major Program | Chemistry Minor Program