Aleksander Rebane is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at NYU Abu Dhabi. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences from ETH Zürich, followed by a Master’s degree in physics from Osaka University. In 2018, he graduated with a PhD in physics from Yale University. His research focuses on experimental biophysics, particularly investigating the self-organization and function of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids within living cells. He is particularly interested in the molecular assemblies found in neuronal synapses that provide the basis for brain function. During his doctoral work, Aleksander employed single-molecule optical tweezers to study the assembly of SNARE proteins, which are crucial for synaptic transmission. In 2016, he received the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Award from the National Institutes of Health. His postdoctoral research involved working with Professor James E. Rothman at the Yale School of Medicine to explore the intricate architecture of the Golgi Apparatus, focusing on the liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins anchored to the Golgi surface. In 2020, he joined Professor Eric R. Dufresne's laboratory at ETH Zürich to investigate the emergent properties of metabolically active droplets formed by phase-separated proteins. In 2021, Aleksander was awarded the Ambizione grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation to promote his role as a group leader, where his research team studies the mechanics of lipid bilayer membranes and their complex morphologies.
NYU Abu Dhabi • Abu Dhabi
Teaching and conducting research in experimental biophysics.