Todd Blankenship

Todd Blankenship is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Denver, affiliated with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and serving as Director of the Molecular and Cellular Biophysics Program. His research focuses on cellular and developmental biophysics, particularly in Drosophila systems, with an emphasis on epithelial morphogenesis and actomyosin dynamics.

• Education: B.S. from UC San Diego (1993), Ph.D. from Princeton University (2001)
• Contact: todd.blankenship@du.edu | Seeley G. Mudd Building, Denver, CO | Blankenship Lab

Research interests span epithelial remodeling, nuclear mechanics, membrane trafficking, and cytoskeletal regulation. His recent work investigates how planar polarity, organelle interactions, and mechanical feedback drive tissue elongation and cell shape changes in Drosophila.

Publications highlight interdisciplinary approaches combining biophysics, molecular genetics, and advanced imaging to unravel mechanisms in cytokinesis, syncytial furrow formation, and neuromuscular junction development. Key themes include Rab GTPase pathways, phosphoinositide signaling, and viscoelastic properties of cells.