Ionel Popa

Ionel Popa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), affiliated with the Biophysics Faculty. He leads the LABNanoPro lab, which focuses on biophysics and soft matter research. Popa earned his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Gh. Asachi Technical University (2005) and his Ph.D. in Physical and Analytical Chemistry from the University of Geneva (2010). After postdoctoral work at Columbia University, he joined UWM in 2015.

His research integrates

• single-molecule magnetic tweezers
• protein engineering
• hydrogel design

to study protein mechanics and smart materials. Key areas include:

• Mechanical response of proteins under force (linked to cancer, muscle dystrophy)
• Design of protein hydrogels for biomedical applications

Recent work highlights include

• Development of long-duration single-molecule studies
• Cation-induced shape programming of hydrogels
• Investigations into talin’s role in cell adhesion

His lab has secured NSF-BSF funding for biomaterials research and collaborates on innovations like antibody purification technologies.

Notable achievements:

• Lab featured in UWM Report for biomaterial innovations
• Students and researchers have received awards including the Women in Science Fellowship and Excellence in Research awards