Arieh Warshel

Arieh Warshel is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Southern California’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He holds the Dana and David Dornsife Chair in Chemistry and is a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2013) for pioneering multiscale simulation methods for biological molecules. His work integrates quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics (QM/MM) to model enzymatic reactions and biological processes.

Warshel earned a B.S. from the Technion in Israel (1966), M.S. and Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute (1967, 1969). He joined USC in 1976 and has since led groundbreaking research in theoretical chemistry, including studies of enzyme catalysis, molecular motors, ion channels, and drug design.

His research focuses on computational modeling of biological systems, emphasizing electrostatic effects, proton/electron transfer, and protein dynamics. Key contributions include the EVB (Empirical Valence Bond) method and the QM/MM approach, which revolutionized simulations of enzymatic reactions. Current projects involve multiscale modeling of G-proteins, ion pumps, and molecular machines.

Warshel has authored over 500 publications, including seminal works on enzyme catalysis, electrostatic interactions, and molecular dynamics. His honors include membership in the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Honorary Fellowship, and the Biophysical Society’s Founders Award.

He oversees a research group with expertise in computational chemistry, mentoring postdocs like Ashim Nandi (plastic-degrading enzymes) and graduate students (e.g., Aoxuan Zhang, Lingfeng Hu). His lab uses advanced computing resources, including 38 dedicated nodes on USC’s HPC cluster, to simulate biological systems at unprecedented scales.