Ruhma Syeda

Ruhma Syeda, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Her research focuses on ion channel physiology and mechanotransduction, exploring how mechanical stimuli are converted into cellular responses. She holds a D.Phil. in Chemical Biology from the University of Oxford and completed postdoctoral training at UC San Diego and the laboratory of Nobel laureate Ardem Patapoutian. Her work has advanced understanding of PIEZO channels, critical for touch, pain, and cardiovascular function, and their roles in health and disease.

• Education:
• B.Sc. Chemistry, M.Sc. Physical Chemistry (Karachi University)
• D.Phil. Chemical Biology (University of Oxford)

Dr. Syeda’s research integrates biophysics, molecular biology, and chemical biology to study PIEZO-dependent mechanotransduction. Her lab investigates structure-function relationships of PIEZO channels, their physiological roles in cells, and their pathophysiological implications in disorders like Prune Belly Syndrome. Her team has pioneered techniques such as droplet lipid bilayers for studying membrane proteins and identified key mechanisms of Piezo1 and Piezo2 channel activation.

Her work contributed to the 2021 Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of mechanosensory channels. Awards include the Eli Lilly Award for postgraduate research. Ongoing projects address PIEZO’s roles in mechanosensation, volume regulation, and cardiovascular physiology.

• Lab Focus: Syeda Lab at UT Southwestern develops novel tools to study ion channel mechanisms in isolated membrane systems, emphasizing translational applications in mechanobiology.