Rohit Pappu

Scientific Advisor
Rohit Pappu

Rohit Pappu is an expert in the biophysical principles governing the form, functions, phase transitions, and evolution of intrinsically disordered proteins.

He is currently the Gene K. Beare Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Center for Biomolecular Condensates – the only center of its kind – at the James McKelvey School of Engineering in Washington University in St. Louis.

During his time at Washington University, Dr. Pappu has served as the founding co-Director of the Center for High Performance Computing, the founding Director of the Center for Biological Systems Engineering, a member of the Center for Computational Biology, and a member of the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders. He joined as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2001.

Pappu’s recent and ongoing research interests focus on the form, function, and phase behaviors of proteins and nucleic acids, with a special focus on intrinsically disordered proteins. These research interests are pursued with an aim to understand the physical basis for spatial and temporal organization of cellular matter, and their dysregulation in the context of neurodegenerative and other diseases. Pappu’s interests are fueled by approaches that combine biophysical computations, adaptations, and advancements in polymer physics theories, in vitro and in cellulo experiments, evolutionary analyses, and a network of collaborations with subject domain experts in biochemistry and cell biology. The basic science advances are leveraged to pursue advances in the design, development and deployment of novel biomaterials and applications in synthetic biology. Pappu’s research is funded by grants from NSF, NIH, AFOSR, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

He has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Biological and Medical Engineers,  the Biophysical Society, and is a Mercator Fellow of the German Science Foundation. 

Dr. Pappu received his PhD in Biological Physics from Tufts University in 1996 and completed two postdoctoral fellowships in Molecular Biophysics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Current Affiliation:
Washington University

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