Josh Vincent Vermaas

Josh Vincent Vermaas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at Michigan State University, with joint appointments at the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory and the Molecular Plant Sciences Program. His research focuses on using computational methods to understand biological phenomena at the molecular level, particularly in photosynthetic organisms and plant materials.

Dr. Vermaas earned his BS in Physics, Biochemistry, and Computational Mathematics from Arizona State University in 2010, followed by a PhD in Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. He completed postdoctoral training at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (2016-2019) and served as a Computational Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2020 before joining MSU in January 2021.

His research employs atomic-scale simulation tools to create molecular models that reveal how biological structures function at the nanoscale. The Vermaas Lab investigates three primary areas: lipid membranes and membrane proteins, nanostructures in photosynthetic organisms, and advanced computational methods. Their work combines molecular dynamics simulations with experimental collaborations to address sustainability challenges in energy conversion and bioproduct production. Recent projects include studying carboxysome permeability, lignin structure, membrane transport mechanisms, and developing machine learning-based force fields.

The lab's publication record demonstrates expertise across computational biophysics, with recent papers focusing on bacterial microcompartment structure and function, plant membrane permeability, photosynthetic mechanisms, and fungal cell wall remodeling. Their research often combines multiple techniques including molecular dynamics, Brownian dynamics, and experimental validation.

• OpenEye Outstanding Junior Faculty Award (2025)
• Tomashow Keegstra Award (for work on human cis-prenyltransferase)

Dr. Vermaas mentors multiple graduate and undergraduate students, including Duncan Boren, Jinxin Lin, and Siva Naga Sai Damaraju. His lab has secured significant funding, including an NIH R35 award for studying natural product transport. The Vermaas Lab actively participates in outreach activities such as the MSU Science Festival and Girls Math and Science Day, demonstrating commitment to science education and community engagement.