UMD | CMPS | IPST

Faculty Directory

Name and Affiliation	Phone and Location	Research Focus
Dorothy Beckett Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry dbeckett at umd.edu	301-405-1812 Fax: 301-314-9121 4506, Wing 5, Chemistry Bldg.	Biophysical Chemistry, coupled equilibria in biological regulation, quantitative analysis of regulatory system behavior, allostery, thermodynamics and kinetics, protein: protein interactions.
Robert Briber Professor Chair of Materials Science and Engineering Materials Science & Engineering rbriber at umd.edu	301-405-7313 Fax: 301-314-2029 2135 Chemical & Nuclear Engineering Bldg.	RNA and protein folding, X-ray and neutron scattering, bio- and synthetic ploymer complexes.
Marco Colombini Professor Biology colombini at umd.edu	301-405-6925 Fax: 301-314-9358 3276 Biology-Psych Bldg.	Molecular structure and physiological function of membrane channels, especially mitrocondrial channels. These are involved in mitrochondria-mediated protosis: 1) VDAC, a channel that controls the flow of metabolites; 2) ceramide channels formed by self-assembly of a lipid, ceramide.
Michael E. Fisher Distinguished University Professor University System of Maryland Regents Professor Institute for Physical Science and Technology xpectnil at umd.edu	301-405-4820 Fax: 301-314-9404 2100A Inst. for Phys. Sci. & Tech. Bldg.	Theoretical biophysics including motility and the mechanochemistry of molecular motors, and the cytoskeleton.
David Fushman Associate Professor/Head of Lab Center Biomol. Struct. & Organization Chemistry & Biochemistry fushman at umd.edu	301-405-3461 Fax: 301-324-0386 1121 Agriculture/Life Science Surge	Proteins as molecular machines at atomic resolution. Structure, dynamics, and recognition in multi-domain proteins and protein complexes. INtracellular signaling, especially in ubiquitin-mediated pathways. Methodology: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) an drelaxation, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and physical and mathematical modeling.
Arthur La Porta Assistant Professor Institute for Physical Science and Technology Physics alaporta at umd.edu	301-405-3291 1111 Inst. for Phys. Sci. & Tech. Bldg.	Measuring the dynamics of individual biological molecules, with an emphasis on the conformational dynamics of nucleic acid structures, on kinetics of processive enzymes that interact with DNA, and on the development of novel optical techniques.
George Lorimer Distinguished University Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry Institute for Physical Science and Technology glorimer at umd.edu	301-405-1828 Fax: 301-324-0386 2113 Biomolecular Sciences Bldg.	Protein Folding, Allostery, Molecular Chaperones, Mechanistic Enzymology
Wolfgang Losert Assocate Professor Physics Institute for Physical Science and Technology wlosert at umd.edu	301-405-0629 3359 AV Williams Bldg.	Cell dynamics; soft materials that are driven far from equilibrium; how mechanical forces and surface topography contribute to the operation of signaling pathways in cell motility; cancer dynamics
Joonil Seog Assistant Professor Materials Science and Engineering jseog at umd.edu	301-405-1885 Fax: 301-314-2029 1140 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Bldg.	Investigating the mechanisms of the self-assembly by direct force measurements at the single molecular level using optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy. The current projects are self-assembly of silk-elastin peptide, tau aggregation, trimerzation of heat shock transcription factor, and DNA condensation for gene delivery applications.
Sergei Sukharev Associate Professor Biology Institute for Physical Science and Technology sukharev at umd.edu	301-405-6923 Fax: 301-314-9358 3216 Biology-Psych Bldg.	Biophysics of mechano-sensation and osmoregulation, structure-function relationships and conformational transitions in bacterial mechano-sensitive channels, lipid-protein interactions and surface modifications of membranes that affect mechano-transduction.
Devarajan (Dave) Thirumalai Professor Institute for Physical Science and Technology thirum at umd.edu	301-405-4803 Fax: 301-314-9404 2116 Inst. for Phys. Sci. & Tech. Bldg.	Theoretical and computational approaches to biomolecular folding and dynamics; folding mechanisms of proteins and RNA; molecular machines; protein misfolding and aggretion.
Arpita Upadhyaya Assistant Professor Institute for Physical Science and Technology Physics arpitau at umd.edu	301-405-9939 Fax: 301-314-9404 0110 Inst. for Phys. Sci. & Tech. Bldg.	Physics of cross linked biopolymer networks; force generation in cells of the immune system and cancer; mechanics of cellular cytoskeleton and cell membrane; how biochemistry and signaling networks determine physical responses of the cell and cytoskeleton. Techniques include high resolution fluorescence imaging, magnetic manipulation, traction force microscopy.
John Weeks Distinguished University Professor Institute for Physical Science and Technology jdw at umd.edu	301-405-4802 1108 Inst. for Phys. Sci & Tech. Bldg.	Theoretical Studies of inhomogeneous and confined fluids. Have developed a new Local Molecular Field (LMF) theory of nonuniform liquids.

Direct any program related questions to:
Dr. Devarajan (Dave) Thirumalai
Maryland Biophysics Program
1112A IPST, Building 085
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
dirbiph at ipst.umd.edu
ph: 301.405.4803

Direct any admission-related questions to:
Ms. Caricia J. Fisher
Maryland Biophysics Program
2112 IPST, Building 085
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
cjfisher at umd.edu
ph: 301.405.9307 | fax: 301.314.9404