Arjun Saha

Arjun Saha is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), affiliated with the College of Letters & Science. His research focuses on developing computational chemistry and biophysics approaches to study biological processes relevant to complex diseases like cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The Saha Lab employs advanced techniques such as machine learning, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) to design small-molecule inhibitors for drug discovery.

Education includes a BSc and MSc from the University of North Bengal (India), a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Indiana University (Bloomington), and postdoctoral research at Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and the University of Southern California under Nobel Laureate Arieh Warshel. Saha’s work emphasizes collaboration with medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmaceutical industry groups to bridge computational and experimental research.

Research interests span protein misfolding mechanisms, covalent inhibitor design for the ubiquitin proteasome system, and mechanochemical processes in motor proteins. Recent projects include simulating proteasome substrate translocation and predicting binding free energies of covalent inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 and proteasomes.

The lab actively recruits postdoctoral scientists and graduate students (MS/PhD). Key collaborations involve Big Pharma and academic institutions, with a focus on translating computational insights into clinical drug candidates. Current studies explore vitamin B12 signaling in neuroprotection and circadian rhythm regulation via CK1δ inhibitors.

Labs/Teams: Saha Research Laboratory at UWM, collaborating with experimental groups in academia and industry.