Lindsay Case

Lindsay Case is the Irwin and Helen Sizer Career Development Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), located in the Koch Biology Building. Her research focuses on how cells regulate the spatial organization of signaling molecules at the plasma membrane, particularly through mechanisms like phase separation and biomolecular condensates. She employs quantitative approaches from biochemistry, molecular biophysics, and cell biology to study transmembrane signaling pathways and their dysregulation in diseases such as cancer.

Education: PhD (2014) in Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and BA (2008) in Biology from Franklin and Marshall College.

Research Interests: The lab investigates how receptor clustering and protein assemblies create membrane compartments with unique biochemical properties. Key themes include phase separation in signaling pathways, membrane-induced protein phase behavior, and the role of actin dynamics in adhesion and signaling. These studies use reconstituted systems and live-cell imaging to dissect molecular mechanisms.

Key Awards:

• NSF Career Award (2025)
• Searle Scholar Award (2022)
• NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2022)
• AFOSR Young Investigator Award (2021)
• Brown-Goldstein Award (2020)
• Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist (2020)

Her work bridges fundamental cell biology with disease mechanisms, emphasizing the biophysical and biochemical principles governing membrane-associated signaling processes.