Lisa Jill Lapidus

Lisa Jill Lapidus is a Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Michigan State University, with dual appointments in Physics & Astronomy and the BioMolecular Science Gateway. Her research bridges physics, biology, and medicine through investigations of protein dynamics and educational innovation.

Her primary research focuses on protein folding dynamics, neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, and biomolecular condensates. The Lapidus Lab employs specialized optical techniques including Trp-Cys quenching and microfluidic mixing to study intramolecular diffusion rates in disordered proteins like α-synuclein and amyloid-β. Key findings demonstrate how monomer reconfiguration kinetics control aggregation pathways in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Current work explores protein behavior in crowded cellular environments and liquid-liquid phase separation phenomena.

Lapidus pioneered the P@MCL (Physics at the Molecular and Cellular Level) curriculum, revolutionizing introductory physics for life science majors through biology-integrated examples and computational approaches. This NSF-supported initiative addresses the disconnect between traditional physics curricula and modern biological research.

• Active laboratory directing multiple research projects
• Principal investigator for NIH/NSF-funded studies
• Developed novel microfluidic mixing techniques
• Established MSU's life science physics curriculum

Her educational leadership includes developing PHY 221/222 courses housed in MSU's STEM Teaching and Learning building, with materials publicly available under Creative Commons licensing. The Lapidus Group maintains active collaborations with Michael Feig's computational team and clinical researchers studying neurodegenerative disease mechanisms.