Dr. Carlos Bustamante

Biography

Carlos Bustamante received his B.S. in 1973 from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, his M.S. in 1975 from Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, and his Ph.D. in 1981 from the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a faculty member of the Physics Department since 1998 and became a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1996. In 2000, he was named an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research primarily focuses on the study of single-molecule manipulation methods to investigate the dynamics and mechanical properties of macromolecules. His current projects include studying the structural basis of protein-DNA interactions that control gene expression. Additionally, he employs instruments such as optical tweezers and atomic force microscopy to examine forces maintaining molecular structures and convert mechanochemical energy in molecular motors. He has published numerous works, contributing significantly to the understanding of the interactions between DNA, RNA, and proteins, and the mechanistic underpinnings of these interactions.

Research Interests