Kim A. Sharp

Kim A. Sharp is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He is also Chair of the Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and affiliated with the Genomics and Computational Biology program.

Education:

• BSc.Hons. in Biophysics, Leeds University, 1978
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of British Columbia, 1985

Dr. Sharp's research centers on understanding molecular recognition processes involving proteins, ligands, drugs, and nucleic acids using theoretical and computational methods. His work emphasizes Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics, molecular and Brownian dynamics, and Monte Carlo simulations. Key areas include protein-ligand binding energy calculations, simulation of proteins in reverse micelles, viral genome packaging, and novel computational approaches to analyze protein shape.

The published works reflect a strong focus on computational biophysics and molecular energetics, particularly in quantifying electrostatic contributions to binding, solvation effects, and macromolecular shape descriptors. His research bridges physical chemistry principles with biological applications, especially in nucleic acid interactions and drug binding.

Scientific Awards:

• No awards explicitly listed in the source text.

Dr. Sharp advises graduate students through the Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group. While specific grants are not mentioned, his sustained publication record in top-tier journals indicates active funding and research leadership. He maintains a laboratory focused on developing and applying advanced computational tools to fundamental problems in molecular biophysics.