KEN A. DILL
Distinguished Professor
Physics and Astronomy
ken.dill@stonybrook.edu | (631)-632-5401, Laufer Center 117
Research Group Website
Curriculum Vitae. (Last updated: 2024 Jul 08)

Biography
Ken Dill is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Physics and Chemistry, Affiliated Distinguished Professor in Applied Math, the Louis and Beatrice Laufer Endowed Chair of Physical and Quantitative Biology, and founding and current Director of the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is past-president of the Biophysical Society. He received the Hans Neurath Award from the Protein Society, Emily Gray Award from the Biophysical Society, Max Delbruck Prize from the American Physical Society, and the Sackler International Prize in Biophysics.

Research Statement
Prof. Dill studies the physics of protein folding, the statistical mechanics of water, principles of nonequilibrium statistical thermodynamics in small systems, and the mechanisms and evolution of cells. His work contributed to understanding that protein folding occurs on funnel-shaped energy landscapes and that protein structures are largely determined by hydrophobic interactions. With Dr. Ron Zuckermann, he developed peptoids, a new class of polymer materials that have protein-like properties. Dr. Dill has co-authored two textbooks, Molecular Driving Forces, a textbook in physical chemistry and statistical mechanics with Sarina Bromberg, and Protein Actions: Principles and Modeling, an introduction to the biological, chemical, and physical properties of proteins with Ivet Bahar and RL Jernigan.