What is Biophysics?

For 35 years, the Biophysics Research Division has been the center for University of Michigan researchers interested in applying ideas, concepts, and techniques from the physical sciences to problems in molecular and cell biology. Because of its strong interdisciplinary focus and strong ties throughout the University community, the division is a natural meeting ground for people interested in interactions that transcend the traditional boundaries between disciplines. It is also a place for graduate students and post-docs to learn the skills necessary for future careers in a world that increasingly values interdisciplinary and integrative perspectives.

The Biophysics Research Division consists of eleven core faculty members with laboratories in the Chemistry building, all with joint appointments in other academic departments such as Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Biological Chemistry, in addition to twenty-four associated faculty with appointments throughout the University. Students in Biophysics have opportunities to perform cutting-edge research in an extremely wide range of areas including structural biology, computational biology and biophysics, bioinformatics, membrane biophysics, spectroscopy and its applications, and enzyme kinetics.

The Structural Biologists use X-ray crystallography, multi-dimensional NMR and other spectroscopies, computational approaches, and other techniques from molecular biology to understand the function, structure, dynamics, and energetics of important biological macromolecules.  The scientists working in Spectroscopy and Microscopy are developing new physical methods to study quantitative aspects of biological systems, from molecules to cells.  The Computational Biophysicists at Michigan are at the forefront of developments of theoretical approaches in protein folding, evolution and bioinformatics.  Our Biophysical Chemists integrate many of the above methods to further the understanding of enzyme mechanisms, protein folding and intermolecular interactions, often in a biomedical context.