Troy, N.Y. — Shekhar Garde, assistant professor of chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). He will use the five-year, $374,965 grant to develop computer simulation tools for understanding and modeling how biological molecules self-assemble in water-based solutions.

Water plays a critical role in biomolecular interactions. Quantitative modeling of water-induced interactions will be important in developing a host of biotechnology and pharmaceutical applications, from designing materials for everyday use, such as novel laundry detergents, to molecular medicine, Garde says.

In part, the NSF grant will help Garde generate an extensive computerized library of water-induced interactions between various parts of proteins. The purpose is to develop efficient molecular-level models to study how proteins and other macromolecules self-assemble under various conditions in water, such as in extreme pressure or temperatures, or in the presence of salt and other additives.

The CAREER Award is given to faculty members at the beginning of their careers and is one of the NSF's most competitive and prestigious awards. The award places emphasis on high-quality research and novel education initiatives.

Garde joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1999. He earned his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1992 from the University of Bombay and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1997 from the University of Delaware.

He was awarded the Director's Postdoctoral Fellowship by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he performed independent research from 1997 to 1999. Using molecular simulation and statistical mechanical tools, his research focuses on understanding, among other things, how water molecules drive proteins to fold into their unique three-dimensional structures.

Contact: Jodi Ackerman
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A