Dr. Melike Lakadamyali

Biography

Melike Lakadamyali is a Professor in the Department of Physiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lakadamyali's research focuses on gaining a quantitative biophysical understanding of the macromolecular machines that drive essential cellular processes. With a keen interest in the development of advanced microscopy methods, she aims to overcome the limitations of current techniques to visualize macromolecular machineries in action at high spatiotemporal resolution. Her specific interests lie in the molecular machinery involved in fundamental biological processes, such as transport machinery for intracellular trafficking of vesicles and transcriptional machinery that governs gene expression. Her group has been at the forefront of pioneering developments in super-resolution microscopy, contributing significantly to the understanding of protein interactions and spatial organization within cells. By taking a highly quantitative biophysical approach, her work emphasizes the importance of factors like protein copy number and clustering in maintaining healthy cellular functions. Lakadamyali holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in Physics from Harvard University.

Research Interests