Career and research
Goodsell obtained a Bachelor's of Science in both biology and chemistry from the University of California Irvine in 1982. After this, he completed a PhD in X-ray crystallography of DNA at the University of California Los Angeles in 1987. Since completing his PhD he has worked as a structural biologist at the Scripps Research Institute (with a 2-year period in University of California in 1992–94).
His research topics have included the use of structural biology and molecular dynamic simulations to investigate symmetry in protein oligomers, protein–protein interactions and for computer-aided drug design. In particular he is a developer of AutoDock, the most widely used program used for molecular docking. His main research focus areas are HIV drug resistance and structure and function of bacterial cells.
Goodsell's illustrations are frequently used as teaching tools, in textbooks, in scientific publications, and as journal cover art. In graduate school, Goodsell became interested in scientific illustration while writing molecular graphics programs to visualize protein and DNA structures. His images of individual proteins are typically computer generated, cell-shaded space-filling representations of proteins, often with cut-aways to show internal binding sites and cofactors.
By contrast, Goodsell's watercolor paintings of cell interiors illustrate various dense molecular landscapes, which feature common cellular processes such as synaptic transmission, cytoskeletal remodeling, and viral uptake. Goodsell's artwork typically depicts a molecular snapshot of the inside of a cell, filled with highly simplified protein structures in a approachable style in order to capture overall organization of intracellular protein complexes without overwhelming detail.
Goodsell's cell interiors are often displayed at an effective 1,000,000x magnification for consistency. The paintings therefore share a consistent style, aiming to make interpretation easy and as intuitive as possible. Many of his illustrations are published in the "Molecule of the Month" series by the Protein Data Bank (PDB), an archive of protein structures.
Animation of the small subunit of the Thermus thermophilus ribosome. RNA shown in orange, protein in blue.
Animation shows the multiple rotational states of bacterial ATP synthase, which have been revealed by cryoelectron microscopy.
Animation of the large subunit of the Haloarcula marismortui ribosome. RNA shown in orange, protein in blue.
Animation shows the allosteric motion of hemoglobin, with heme shown in red and oxygen shown in blue.
