Alex Evilevitch 2014 International Biophysics Congress

Alex Evilevitch

Alex Evilevitch is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA and an Associate Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Structural Biology at Lund University, Sweden. He received his PhD in 2001 in Physical Chemistry at Lund University. Did postdoc in 2002-2004 at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), awarded with a STINT personal grant (The Swedish Foundation of International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education). In 2004 was employed as Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry, Lund University awarded with a research grant from the Swedish Research Council (VR). In 2006 was promoted to Associate professor in Biochemistry without tenure and in 2009 to Associate Professor with tenure. In 2009 received a Senior Researcher Position Grant from the Swedish Research Council in the area: Physical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids Interactions. Since 2009 he is an Associate professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University. Alex Evilevitch is the principal investigator for the group in Physical Virology. Physical Virology is a young and rapidly growing research field characterized by strong interdisciplinary diversity. It presents a novel approach to virology by providing a biophysical description of key mechanisms controlling viral replication. While diversity is its strength, it also implies challenges in communication between the disciplines. Evilevitch’s interdisciplinary training and approach have been instrumental in his success and have attracted a large number of collaborators. Evilevitch has made significant contributions to understanding how viruses function. He began his work on viruses 12 years ago after graduate research in physical chemistry of colloids and polymers. In that earlier work Evilevitch developed skills using physical chemistry to understand particles with dimensions of nanometers. Synthesizing his earlier experience in complex fluids with his present work in the biophysics of viruses, Evilevitch approaches problems in virology from both directions – comparing the conditions within the viral shell with those in the complex fluid solution that surrounds the virus (e.g. cellular cytoplasm). Evilevitch is an author of 35 peer reviewed research papers in high impact journals (e.g. PNAS, JACS, Journal of Molecular Biology, Biophysical Journal, etc). He was a recipient of 2008 Sven och Ebba-Christina Hagberg’s Prize in Biochemistry and Medicine from the Swedish Royal Academy of Science and Karolinska University (Stockholm) for outstanding research achievements. Evilevitch was also awarded 2005 Akzo Nobel Nordic Science Prize for his research on Physical Chemistry of Viruses. Received the UCLA Chancellor’s Award for Postdoctoral Research with Exceptional Accomplishments in research in 2004 and the 2003 Hebert Newby McCoy Award, in recognition of making the most important contribution from the UCLA department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In 1993 was awarded with Berzelius Award in Chemistry at Royal School of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.