Molecular Biophysics Faculty and Research
The Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program faculty have diverse backgrounds and interests, ranging from mathematics and theoretical physics to neurobiology and genetics.
Research in the Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program is highly interdisciplinary, comprising faculty drawn from the departments of Biophysics, Pharmacology, Physiology, Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Radiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and others. A list of faculty with their research interests is given below.
Program Director
Faculty
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Cryo-EM studies of membrane protein complex in signaling transduction pathway
![Xiaochen Bai, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/bai-xiaochen-167380-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of channels that gate in response to membrane tension
![Paul Blount, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/blount-paul-33663-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Structures and mechanisms of nuclear transport and the nuclear pore complex
![Yuh Min Chook, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/chook-yuh-min-53719-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Computational protein science, evolutionary genomics, machine learning, structural biology
![Qian Cong, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/cong-qian-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Engineering proteins and nucleic acids for novel function
![David Corey, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/corey-david-11484-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Autonomous Microscopy, Molecular Multiplexing, Optical Probe Development, and Content Rich Histopathology
Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms of amyloid propagation in neurodegenerative diseases, especially tauopathies (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease), synucleinopathies (e.g. Parkinson’s disease), and polyglutamine diseases (e.g. Huntington’s disease); linkage between amyloid structure and biological impact
![Marc Diamond, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/diamond-marc-154271-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Structural and biochemical characterization of dynamic protein-RNA complexes during ribosome biogenesis
![Jan Erzberger, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/erzberger-jan-161068-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Protein folding and structure in cellular environments
![Kendra Frederick, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/frederick-kendra-161098-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Crystallographic studies of signal-transducing proteins
![Elizabeth Goldsmith, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/goldsmith-elizabeth-12642-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Computational biology; analysis of protein sequences and structures
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Molecular mechanisms of membrane sculpting; formation and dynamics of inter-organelle membrane contact sites (MCSs) in human health and disease
![Mike Henne, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/henne-william-mike-157203-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Quantitative single-molecule imaging of receptor organization and signaling; linking molecular and cellular behavior across multiple scales; computational image analysis and data multiplexing
![Khuloud Jaqaman, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/jaqaman-khuloud-134464-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Structure and function of ion channels/transporters using X-ray protein crystallography, and electrophysiological tools
![Youxing Jiang, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/jiang-youxing-58081-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Molecular recognition in protein folding, chaperone structural biology, and neurodegeneration
![Lukasz Joachimiak, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/joachimiak-lukasz-163194-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Membrane Protein, Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Protein Homeostasis, Protein Degradation, Lipid Metabolism
![Daniel Kober, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/kober-daniel-130346-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Structural and biochemical characterization of membrane proteins in cholesterol biosynthesis, metabolism and signaling
![Xiaochun Li, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/li-xiaochun-171926-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Theoretical and computational approaches to predict protein folding and aggregation; evolutionary dynamics
![Milo Lin, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/lin-milo-160988-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Roles of chromatin and nuclear organization in transcriptional regulation; structural and biochemical studies of chromatin dynamics during transcriptional activation and repression
![Xin Liu, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/liu-xin-127166-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Protein structure determination by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); protein folding; cell cycle checkpoints and cancer
![Xuelian (Sue) Luo, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/luo-xuelian-39254-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: The analysis of metabolism in intact tissues by NMR spectroscopy; development of new methods to understand metabolic processes in functioning cells
![Craig Malloy, M.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/malloy-craig-14563-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms of RNA-mediated gene regulation; Structural and biochemical studies of non-coding RNA function
![Yunsun Nam, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/nam-yunsun-137693-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Three-dimensional structures of biological molecules
![Zbyszek Otwinowski, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/otwinowski-zbyszek-15462-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Cellular organization and regulation of eukaryotic DNA replication initiation
![Matthew Parker, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/parker-matthew-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Polyamine and pyrimidine metabolism in trypanosome and malaria parasites
![Margaret A. (Meg) Phillips, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/phillips-margaret-15701-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Understanding how protein sensors measure levels of cholesterol in cell membranes
![Arun Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/radhakrishnan-arun-57962-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Biochemistry; biophysics; cell signaling, kinases, pseudokinases; Host-pathogen interaction; co-evolution; immunology; structural biology
![Michael Reese, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/reese-michael-145873-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Statistical analysis and rational design of cellular systems
![Kimberly Reynolds, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/reynolds-kim-104596-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Biophysical studies of the mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and intracellular membrane fusion
![Jose Rizo-Rey, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/rizo-rey-jose-16107-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Structural, biochemical, and cell biological mechanisms of signal transduction that control the actin cytoskeleton
![Michael Rosen, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/rosen-michael-53929-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Structure and mechanism of integral membrane signaling proteins
![Daniel Rosenbaum, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/rosenbaum-daniel-121397-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms of G-protein signaling; amplification, selectivity, response timing; structure/function of GTPase-activating proteins and associated receptors
![Elliott Ross, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/ross-elliot-16255-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Amyloid deposition,cardiac amyloidosis,cryo-electron microscopy,crystallography,rational and computational design,transthyretin amyloidosis
![Lorena Saelices Gomez](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/saelices-lorena-196037-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Structure of molecular assemblies in cells and neurons using 2D and 3D correlative cryo-EM
![Sarah Shahmoradian, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/shahmoradian-sarah-208701-200x200.jpeg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Mechanistic studies of volume sensors and mechanosensors, ion channel structure-function and related channelopathies
![Default Headshot](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/syeda-ruhma-173868-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Antibiotic resistance and sensitivity; single molecule biophysics; synthetic biology
![Erdal Toprak, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/toprak-erdal-135322-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: How ion channels and scaffolding proteins assemble into cellular signaling machineries
![Weiwei Wang, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/wang-weiwei-180283-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Live-cell microscopy, micro-rheology, and in vitro reconstitution to understand oocyte ageing, embryogenesis, and cancer onset
![Jeffrey Woodruff, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/woodruff-jeffrey-177459-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Biochemical and structural studies of regulation mechanisms for signaling proteins, especially receptor-mediated signaling pathways in neuron development and axonal guidance
![Xuewu Zhang, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/zhang-xuewu-97172-200x200.jpg)
Associate Members
These faculty members do not accept graduate students. They participate in teaching, co-mentoring, exam and dissertation committees, and all other program responsibilities.
Professor
Research Interests: Mechanisms of membrane fusion; role of lipids in membrane trafficking; membrane vesiculation of dynamin
![Joseph Albanesi, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/albanesi-joseph-10078-200x200.jpg)
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Eukaryotic chromatin organization, mutational rates and spectra, biological signals and noise
![Dominika Borek, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/borek-dominika-45538-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Basic processes in living organisms at atomic level, using X-ray crystallography, analytical ultracentrifugation, isothermal titration calorimetry, and other biophysical techniques
![Chad Brautigam, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/brautigam-chad-37828-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Structural and functional studies of proteins in signal transduction
![Zhe Chen, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/chen-zhe-11264-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Single particle cryo-EM; structural and functional studies of protein complexes in the nucleus and on the membrane
![Yan Han, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/han-yan-195321-200x200.jpg)
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Cryo-EM; Structural and functional studies of proteins
![Yang Li, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/li-yang-178012-200x200.jpg)
Professor
Research Interests: Basic processes in living organisms at atomic level using X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and other biophysical techniques
![Diana R. Tomchick, Ph.D.](/education/graduate-school/programs/assets/faculty/tomchick-diana-45730-200x200.jpg)