Patricia Clark

Patricia Clark is the Rev. John Cardinal O'Hara, CSC, Professor of Biochemistry and Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. She also holds a concurrent professorship in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and serves as Associate Vice President for Research. She is the Founder & Director of the Biophysics Instrumentation Core Facility and previously founded the Biophysics Graduate Program.

Her research focuses on the fundamental mechanisms of protein folding, particularly in the context of cellular environments and β-sheet formation. Key interests include co-translational folding, suppression of misfolding and aggregation, and the biophysics of virulence factor secretion in bacteria. Her work has significant implications for understanding diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis, and cancer.

Her recent publications highlight advances in codon usage effects on protein folding, disordered protein behavior, and computational modeling of protein structure. These works span disciplines in biochemistry, biophysics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology, reflecting a highly interdisciplinary approach.

Selected scientific awards include:

• Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award, The Protein Society (2023)
• NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2021)
• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2022)
• NSF CAREER Award
• Michael and Kate Barany Award for Young Investigators, Biophysical Society (2013)

Prof. Clark has been instrumental in mentoring students and leading large-scale research initiatives. She has directed major core facilities and graduate programs, securing significant grants from NIH, NSF, and the W.M. Keck Foundation. Her leadership extends to national roles, including presidency of the Gibbs Society for Biothermodynamics and chairing subgroups within the Biophysical Society.

She leads the Clark Laboratory, which integrates experimental and computational approaches to study protein folding dynamics in vivo and in vitro, and collaborates widely across engineering and life sciences disciplines.