Christine Keating

Christine Keating is the Shapiro Professor of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University's Department of Chemistry. She is affiliated with the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences and the Materials Research Institute, and serves on the graduate faculty of the Bioengineering Department. Her research focuses on self-assembled artificial cells, prebiotic compartmentalization, bioinspired materials synthesis, and particle assembly. Her work bridges physical chemistry, colloid science, and biological chemistry.

Education: B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from Saint Francis College (1991), Ph.D. in Chemistry from Penn State (1997).

Research Themes:

• Artificial cells and cytomimetic chemistry
• Prebiotic compartmentalization via coacervation
• Bioinspired materials using phase-separated microenvironments
• Optical applications of reconfigurable particle assemblies

Awards: Over 20 honors including the Langmuir Lectureship (2024), AAAS Fellowship (2014), and NSF CAREER Award (2003-2008).

Grants: Active funding includes projects on protocells and Rules of Life collaboration through NSF. Advises graduate students in interdisciplinary programs.

Labs: Leads the Keating Group and participates in the ProteoCell Project, a six-university NSF initiative.