Shahar Sukenik

Shahar Sukenik is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Syracuse University, affiliated with the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on understanding how proteins interact with their cellular and extracellular environments, particularly under stress conditions such as desiccation. He employs live-cell microscopy, high-throughput experiments, and computational modeling to study intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and their roles in health and disease. Sukenik holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2014), with prior degrees from the same institution.

His work bridges biophysics, biochemistry, and environmental stress biology, emphasizing how cellular chemistry regulates protein function. Key projects include investigating IDPs’ protective roles during desiccation and their structural dynamics in live cells. Sukenik has received prestigious awards, including the Sloan Research Fellowship (2024–2026) and an NIH NIGMS R35 Award (2020–2025). He leads the Sukenik Lab, collaborating with institutions globally to advance understanding of protein-environment interactions.

Recent research highlights include uncovering mechanisms of desiccation tolerance via LEA protein motifs and elucidating how YAP condensates organize transcriptional hubs. His grants include NSF funding for studying functional synergy between IDPs and their environment during desiccation. Sukenik also serves on committees for the Biophysical Society and co-chairs workshops on macromolecular crowding.