Troy A. Lionberger

Ph.D. Cellular and Molecular Biology
M.S.E. Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
B.S. Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley
B.A. Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Contact: talion·'at'·umich·'dot'·edu

I am broadly interested in understanding how the underlying principles that describe macroscale mechanical behavior apply to the highly complex and largely uncharacterized nanoscale systems traditionally investigated by molecular biologists. More specifically, my research focuses on the relationship between gene regulation and the mechanical state of DNA. I am currently involved on projects that use optical trapping and single molecule fluorescence techniques to monitor and control the torsional and bending states of DNA during interactions with DNA-binding proteins.