Rama Ranganathan

Rama Ranganathan is the Joseph Regenstein Professor at the University of Chicago, holding joint appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College. His research focuses on uncovering fundamental principles of biological systems, emphasizing protein structure-function relationships, evolutionary design, and cellular dynamics. He leads the Center for Physics of Evolving Systems and directs the BioCARS synchrotron beamline at Argonne National Laboratory.

Education:

• B.S. in Bioengineering, UC Berkeley
• M.D. and Ph.D. (Biochemistry), UC San Diego

Research Interests: Exploring evolutionary design principles in biological systems from atomic to ecosystem scales. Key areas include protein folding, allostery, and functional protein engineering using advanced computational and experimental approaches. The Ranganathan Lab employs X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics simulations, and machine learning to study protein dynamics and design novel functional biomolecules.

Publications Trends: Recent work emphasizes AI-driven protein design (e.g., ProtWave-VAE, ProT-VAE), electric-field studies of protein conduction, and unified models of allostery. His research bridges structural biology, computational biophysics, and evolutionary principles.

Labs/Teams: Directs the Ranganathan Lab and leads the BioCARS facility, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across physics, engineering, and biology. Active in advancing synchrotron-based structural studies and data-driven protein engineering.