Fabrizio Marinelli

Fabrizio Marinelli is an Associate Professor of Biophysics and Data Science at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), effective July 2025, and holds an adjunct senior investigator position at the Versiti Blood Research Institute. He previously served as a staff scientist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI/NIH) and conducted postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics and NIH.

Educational background includes a PhD in Statistical and Biological Physics from the International School for Advanced Studies (Trieste, Italy), an MS in Chemistry from La Sapienza University (Rome), and postdoctoral training in molecular biophysics. His research focuses on computational modeling of molecular mechanisms in membrane transport, signaling, and morphological changes, integrating advanced simulation techniques with experimental data (e.g., EPR/DEER, HDX-MS, cryo-EM). Key methodologies include enhanced sampling methods, free-energy calculations, and machine learning.

Research highlights include elucidating mechanisms of Na+/Ca2+ exchangers, ion selectivity in lysosomal K+ channels, and structural interpretation of DEER and HDX data. He leads the Biophysics Graduate Program’s recruitment efforts and actively collaborates with experimental labs to bridge theory and experiment. Lab members include postdocs William Brown and Sandra Byju, and graduate student Tyler Trask.

Publications emphasize computational tools (e.g., PLUMED, Colvars library) and reproducibility in molecular simulations. His work aims to advance therapies for infectious diseases, drug resistance, and cancer through mechanistic insights into proteins and membranes.