Research
The set of instructions that dictates the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all known living organisms is stored in the genome. In humans, the genome is composed of 46 DNA molecules known as chromosomes, the combined length of which spans nearly two meters. An array of proteins associates with the genetic material. Together, these interacting macromolecules function as a machine that processes information regulating the transcription of the very genes encoded by the DNA.
Our research is focused on the physical processes involved in the translation of genetic information, a branch of biophysics which we refer to as Physical Genetics. We develop novel theoretical approaches to characterize the structure and function of the genome using the tools of statistical physics, information theory, and computational modeling.