Thorsten-Lars Schmidt

Thorsten-Lars Schmidt is Associate Professor of Physics at Kent State University, leading research in DNA nanotechnology and biophysics. His group engineers DNA-based nanoscale tools for structural biology applications, including DNA-lipid nanodiscs for membrane protein cryo-EM studies and investigates fundamental biophysics of tightly bent DNA.

Research interests span DNA origami, plasmonic devices, nanomechanical actuators, and DNA synthesis methods. Recent NIH-funded projects focus on developing single-molecule tools for studying membrane proteins under native-like conditions.

Group members include PhD candidates from physics, biomedical sciences, and chemical physics programs. Awards include NIH MIRA and NSF EAGER grants for instrumentation development and methodological innovation.

Teaching includes advanced topics in biophysics and nanotechnology. Students gain expertise in atomic force microscopy, single-molecule techniques, and computational modeling through collaborations.