Rama Ranganathan (UChicago): Schmidt AI in Science Speaker Series
Organized by the University of Chicago’s Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Fellowship Program.
Agenda
4:00pm – 4:45pm: Presentation
4:45pm – 5:00pm: Q&A
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Reception
Meeting location
William Eckhardt Research Center. Room 401
5640 S Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
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Title: Generative models for proteins
Abstract: Proteins can fold spontaneously into well-defined three-dimensional structures and can carry out complex biochemical reactions such as binding, catalysis, and long-range information transfer. The precision required for these properties is achieved while also preserving evolvability – the capacity to adapt in response to fluctuating selection pressures in the environment. What is the basic design of proteins that supports all of these properties? Going beyond traditional physical analysis, statistical models of genome sequences have, in recent years, provided a powerful and general approach to this problem. Using different methodologies, this approach has enabled both structure prediction and elucidation of collective functional modes within proteins, and has yielded generative models for protein design. In this talk, I will discuss these advances and will present both the potential and challenges of these data-driven models. An important aspect is to understand how such mechanisms may be constrained by and originate from the dynamics of the evolutionary process. This work represents a step towards a theory for the physics of proteins that is consistent with evolution.
Bio: Rama Ranganathan, M.D. Ph.D. is a Joseph Regenstein Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College at the University of Chicago. Rama’s research has focused on understanding the basic principles of structure, function, and evolution in biological systems, particularly emphasizing the atomic and cellular scale. His work has led to new models for the architecture of natural proteins and new experimental tools for studying the physics and evolution of proteins and cellular systems. He leads the University of Chicago Center for Physics of Evolving Systems. He is the director of BioCARS beamline, a national user facility for structural biology at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory.
He received his undergraduate degree in Bioengineering from UC Berkeley. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from UC San Diego, working jointly with Charles Zuker, Chuck Stevens, and Roger Tsien. He conducted brief postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School, working with Rod MacKinnon, and at the Salk Institute, working with Joe Noel.
