Markus Deserno

Markus Deserno is a Professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon College of Science, Department of Physics, where he serves as Director of Graduate Affairs. His research focuses on theoretical and computational biological physics, investigating mesoscopic phenomena in lipid membranes, proteins, and other biological systems through the lens of fundamental physical principles.

Educational background:

• Ph.D. from Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research (2000)
• Habilitation in Computational Physics from Mainz University, Germany (2006)

Deserno's work centers on how thermal fluctuations, cooperativity, self-assembly, and elasticity govern biological systems at scales between atomic resolution and whole cells. He employs continuum elastic theories, differential geometry, and coarse-grained simulations to develop simplified models that capture essential physics without atomic detail. His research group actively explores membrane mechanics, phase behavior, and curvature elasticity, with particular emphasis on asymmetric lipid bilayers and their biological implications.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications reveals a dominant focus on membrane asymmetry (appearing in 8/15 papers), Gaussian curvature mechanics (6/15), and computational methodology development (12/15). His work increasingly integrates DNA nanotechnology with membrane systems and addresses thermodynamic consequences of lipid composition.

Honors include:

• Thomas E. Thompson Award from Biophysical Society (2021)
• Otto Hahn-Medal from Max Planck Society (2001)

As Section Editor for The Biophysical Journal and active member of four professional societies (American Physical Society, Biophysical Society, American Chemical Society, German Physical Society), Deserno maintains significant scholarly engagement. His research group, featuring members Nick, Mert, Martina, Muhammed, Nishchay, and Amirali, receives funding from federal agencies supporting computational biophysics research.

The Deserno group operates within Carnegie Mellon's high-performance computing environment, developing specialized simulation tools for mesoscale membrane phenomena while maintaining strong collaborations with experimental biophysics laboratories worldwide.