Who is Dr Robert D Grinshpon?
AKA Dr BoK - the Beard of Knowledge
More humbly known by friends and family as “Bob”. I earned a PhD in biochemistry in 2018 from NC State University. However, art has always been an important part of my experience, and Crystal Chemist Gifts was born out of the need for a creative outlet.
Background story
Grandson of Ela Weissberger
Ela was a survivor of the Nazi propaganda camp called Terezin, where she famously played the role of the cat in a children’s opera called Brundibár. One of the performances was recorded for the infamous propaganda film presented to the Red Cross. She learned art from Fridl Dicker-Brandeis, a notable student of the Bauhaus school of architecture. Ela’s art is displayed in Holocaust museums all over the world.
Academic Pedigree
My professor’s professor’s professor can be traced all the way back to Galileo Galilei. I earned a PhD from the department of molecular and structural biochemistry at North Carolina State University in 2018. An accomplishment that most people that knew me in high school would not have guessed was in the cards. My wake up call was getting expelled my senior year for selling marijuana 😬
Blindly Guided by the Universe
ADHD is a blessing and a curse. While capable of executing grandiose plans, I rarely see them through before a new opportunity presents itself (see still unfinished oil painting of my cat above). However, my desire to create art in some form or another has been consistent throughout my life. Nearly 2.5 years of working an office job in the biopharmaceutical industry confirmed that I need to be my own boss. Though seven years of grad school education seems like wasted effort, I would not be the Crystal Chemist otherwise.
Research Highlights
My research was related to a family of proteins involved in regulating cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, My academic accomplishments will likely go unnoticed. I was one of the first scientists to successfully resurrect a functional dinosaur protein. The above photo is crystal of the computationally predicted protein I designed for the purpose of developing drugs to regulate cancer and/or Alzheimer’s.