Monika Kumari

Monika Kumari is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, affiliated with the Beckman Institute. Her research focuses on biophysical mechanisms of nanomaterials and solvents at molecular levels, particularly in lipid membranes, bacterial interactions, and protein stability.

Key research themes include:

• Molecular dynamics simulations of ion channels and bacterial membranes
• Antimicrobial nanosheet mechanisms against pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli
• Effects of deep eutectic solvents and ionic liquids on biomolecules
• Development of bactericidal nanoplatforms for wound healing applications

Her work bridges computational biophysics and nanomaterials design, with recent studies on RNA charge dynamics and hydrophobic gating mechanisms. She has contributed to 15 peer-reviewed publications in these areas.