Ben Larson

Ben Larson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), affiliated with the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS). His research bridges biological physics, cell biology, and evolutionary principles to study complex cellular behaviors without nervous systems.

• BA in Physics, Reed College (2012)
• Postbaccalaureate Research Fellow, NIH NHLBI (2012-2014)
• PhD in Biophysics, UC Berkeley (2019)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, UCSF (2019-2024)

Research Focus: The Larson Lab applies interdisciplinary tools from physics and computation to investigate sensorimotor activity in unicellular organisms like Euplotes, exploring how cells achieve sophisticated behaviors through cytoskeletal dynamics and finite-state mechanisms. Key themes include cellular decision-making, evolutionary biophysics, and multicellular morphogenesis.

Scientific Awards:

• 2013 Orloff Science Award
• 2016-2019 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
• 2016 Society of General Physiology Scholar
• 2020-2023 Merck Postdoctoral Fellowship
• 2022 Porter Prize for Research Excellence (ASCB)