Department of Chemistry

Chemistry > Faculty

Judith Herzfeld

Professor of Biophysical Chemistry
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In our research, we are primarily interested in

(a) membrane transport proteins that store energy and maintain the distinctive compositions of intracellular compartments,
(b) gas vesicle proteins that form the organelles that allow unicellular aquatic organisms to control their depth in the water column,
(c) the role of water polarization and ionization in the mechanisms of transport proteins and enzymes,
(d) prebiotic chemistry leading to macromolecules, and
(e) cytoskeletal filaments which control cell shape and cell motility.

Our primary tools are solid state NMR and statistical thermodynamics.