Damien Wilburn

Dr. Damien Wilburn is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The Ohio State University. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Mathematics (2009) and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2014), both from the University of Louisville. His postdoctoral research at the University of Washington focused on sperm-egg interactions under Dr. Willie Swanson, supported by an NIH NIGMS F32 fellowship and a NICHD K99/R00 career award.

His research integrates biochemical, evolutionary, and computational approaches to study the mechanisms of animal fertilization across humans, salamanders, and abalone. Key areas include rapid protein evolution, structural dynamics of reproductive proteins, and proteomic identification of fertilization candidates. Techniques employed include multidimensional NMR, mass spectrometry, and machine learning.

Dr. Wilburn’s lab explores how co-evolution between gamete proteins drives species-specific recognition and reproductive barriers. Notable projects include analyzing abalone sperm lysin-egg VERL interactions and salamander pheromone evolution. His work bridges basic science with clinical applications, such as understanding infertility and conservation biology.

• Awards: 2017 UW Graduate School Outstanding Postdoc Mentor, NIGMS F32 Fellowship, NICHD K99/R00 Award
• Labs: The Wilburn Lab at OSU focuses on reproductive proteomics and evolutionary mechanisms.

Future directions include expanding human fertilization studies and developing novel bioinformatic tools for proteomic analysis.