A Matrix of Life: A New Molecular Perspective on Water
August 22 (Thursday), 2024
11:30 am to 12:30 pm (EDT)
Virtual via Zoom
Abstract: Water is a matrix of life. Folding, assembly, interaction, and function of proteins are governed by how water molecules organize themselves near protein surfaces on molecular distances. Despite its importance to biotech, pharmaceutical, and materials applications, the role of water in mediating bio- or macro-molecular interactions is not understood. Prof. Garde will present results from molecular theory and simulations that address the central question of the role of water in assembly, focusing on water near hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and complex interfaces. These ideas may translate to applications such as cavitation and bubble formation, patterning and nanofabrication, heat-pipes, and other processes involving water.
Biography: Dr. Shekhar Garde is the Dean of Engineering and the Elaine S. & Jack S. Parker Chaired Professor at RPI. His research focuses on understanding the role of water in biological interactions. Armed with Bachelor’s (U. Bombay) and Ph.D. (U. Delaware) degrees in chemical engineering, he joined RPI in 1999, after 2 years as Director’s Fellow at Los Alamos NL. He has published over 100 papers, and garnered numerous accolades over the years, starting with the NSF CAREER Award in 2001. He was the Robert W. Vaughan Lecturer at CalTech, and is a Fellow of AIMBE, and was recognized as a Fellow of the AAAS in 2015.