Diwakar Shukla

Diwakar Shukla is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds affiliate roles in the Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Department of Plant Biology, and Department of Bioengineering. His research focuses on computational and experimental methods to study biophysical processes in plant biology and human diseases, leveraging molecular simulations and physics-based models.

Education: B.Tech and M.Tech from IIT Bombay, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at MIT. Postdoctoral work at Stanford University under Prof. Vijay Pande. His research aims to address challenges in health, energy, and climate change through interdisciplinary approaches.

Research interests include molecular engineering, computational chemistry, and biophysics. His lab explores protein dynamics in GPCRs, plant stress responses, and drug design for chronic pain and cancer. Recent work includes studies on SWEET transporters for plant water regulation and PFAS remediation using electrochemical methods.

Awards include NSF Early Career Award (2018), Sloan Research Fellowship (2019), and multiple teaching honors. His lab actively collaborates across disciplines, integrating computational tools with experimental validation.

Advising and grants: Supervises a multidisciplinary group of graduate students and postdocs. Leads projects funded by NSF, NIH, and industry. Current efforts include developing novel materials for PFAS cleanup and engineering plant proteins to enhance drought resistance.