As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Ben will improve our understanding of the onset of neurodegenerative diseases by investigating how neurons malfunction at the molecular level.
In the neurons of people with neurodegenerative diseases, proteins that are normally found in the neuronal nucleus are often instead found in large aggregates outside the nucleus. Many genetic mutations that alter the structure of these proteins are also associated with the diseases.
Ben aims to simulate the thermodynamic and kinetic processes that facilitate protein aggregation, focusing on the effect of disease-associated mutations, to develop a more accurate molecular picture of this process.
Ben will pivot from Materials Science to Biochemistry