Jorg Grandl

Jorg Grandl is an Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Cell Biology at Duke University School of Medicine, and a Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. He serves as Director of Neurobiology Graduate Studies, overseeing 47 faculty from 15 departments with over $42 million in research funding and 67 graduate trainees. His leadership spans program coordination, faculty mentorship, and trainee development within Duke's neuroscience community.

Grandl earned his Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Switzerland and completed an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship with Nobel Laureate Ardem Patapoutian at Scripps Research Institute. His academic trajectory reflects deep integration of physics and biology, having studied physics at the University of Würzburg and University of Grenoble before specializing in biophysics.

His research centers on the biophysics of force-gated ion channels and cellular mechanotransduction, with particular focus on Piezo channels. Grandl's work employs innovative approaches including magnetic nanoparticle manipulation to study channel function, revealing fundamental mechanisms of how cells convert mechanical forces into biological signals. This research bridges molecular biophysics, neuroscience, and cellular physiology to understand sensory transduction.

Analysis of his recent publications shows consistent focus on Piezo channel structure-function relationships, mechanotransduction kinetics, and novel experimental methodologies for probing cellular force responses. His work demonstrates increasing sophistication in manipulating and measuring mechanical activation of ion channels at millisecond timescales.

• Holland-Trice Scholar (2023)
• Duke Institute for Brain Sciences Research Incubator Award (2019)
• Chancellor's Discovery Award (2016)
• Kavli Fellow (2015)
• GSK Neuroscience Discovery Award (2015)
• Klingenstein Fellow (2013)
• Sloan Research Fellowship-Neuroscience (2012)
• Duke Whitehead Award (2011)

As Director of Graduate Studies, Grandl manages substantial research infrastructure including the Neurobiology Training Program (2024-2029) and Biophysical characterization grants (2024-2026). His program oversight encompasses $900K per investigator in research support, with trainees publishing 130 articles and securing 31 fellowships over five years. He actively serves on NIH and DFG study sections and reviews for top journals including Nature and Science.

Grandl's laboratory investigates mechanotransduction mechanisms using advanced biophysical techniques. His team develops novel tools like magnetic nanoparticle systems for remote channel control, aiming to create magnetogenetic technologies that could surpass optogenetics for deep brain stimulation. Current work focuses on Piezo channel gating, inactivation kinetics, and cellular force sensing mechanisms.