Zev Bryant

Zev Bryant is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Structural Biology at Stanford University, with affiliations to Bio-X and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. His research focuses on molecular motors, DNA supercoiling, and CRISPR-Cas systems using single-molecule techniques.

Education:

• B.Sc. in Biochemistry, University of Washington (1998)
• Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley (2003)

Research interests center on the physical mechanisms of mechanochemical energy conversion in molecular motors, with applications in synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and genome engineering. His lab develops tools like AuRBT for high-speed DNA dynamics analysis and engineers light-switchable myosins for programmable transport.

Recent publications highlight CRISPR-Cas9 efficiency optimization, Cas12a R-loop dynamics, and active nematic elasticity. These works span Nature, Molecular Cell, and PNAS, emphasizing biophysics, programmable genome editing, and nanoscale engineering.

Scientific Awards:

• NIH Director's New Innovator Award (2008)
• Pew Scholars Award (2009)
• Biophysical Society Council Member (2017-2020)

As advisor, he mentors doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers. He also serves as Associate Director of Stanford Biophysics (2024-present) and Associate Chair of Graduate Admissions in Bioengineering (2018-present).