Troy, N.Y. — Christopher Bystroff, associate professor of biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bystroff will use the projected five-year, $783,768 grant to work on developing five statistical models that represent various stages in the folding of proteins. 

Bystroff is a computational biologist who creates statistical models and molecular simulations to discover how proteins organize and fold into unique structures. Understanding a specific protein’s folding structure helps to identify its biological function, and therefore its role in disease. Bystroff’s work seeks to better understand the functions of genes and genetic differences at the molecular level. 

“Professor Bystroff’s fundamental research into how proteins fold will yield a better understanding of the growing number of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease, which have been linked to the misfolding of proteins,” said Omkaram “Om” Nalamasu, vice president for research at Rensselaer. “His work is an example of ongoing research at Rensselaer that seeks a better understanding of complex diseases for medical and health applications.”

Bystroff’s research is incorporated into the educational experience at Rensselaer by involving undergraduate and graduate students in interdisciplinary research opportunities, such as identifying sites where proteins fold and misfold. Bystroff teaches computational biology courses at Rensselaer, including Sequence Analysis, Molecular Modeling, and Crystallographic Analysis of Protein Structure. He also teaches college faculty at a bioinformatics workshop each summer.

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, placing emphasis on high-quality research and novel education initiatives.

Bystroff joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1999. He is a co-founder and collaborator on research associated with the Bioinformatics Center, a joint center between Rensselaer and the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health. Bystroff earned a doctoral and master’s degree in chemistry from the University of California, San Diego and received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Carleton College.

Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer
At Rensselaer, faculty and students in diverse academic and research disciplines are collaborating at the intersection of the life sciences and engineering to encourage discovery and innovation. Rensselaer’s four biotechnology research constellations — biocatalysis and metabolic engineering, functional tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, biocomputation and bioinformatics, and integrative systems biology — engage a multidisciplinary mix of faculty and students focused on the application of engineering and physical and information sciences to the life sciences. Ranked among the world’s most advanced research facilities, Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies provides a state-of-the-art platform for collaborative research and world-class programs and symposia.

Contact: Tiffany Lohwater
Phone: (518) 276-6542
E-mail: lohwat@rpi.edu