Natural environments are complex and dynamic, and organisms must be able to sense and respond to constantly changing mechanical stimuli as they move through their surroundings. This can be observed across levels of biological organization: proteins remodel themselves in response to external stresses, cells adapt their movement in response to changes in media or substrate, animals vary their stepping patterns with walking speed and type of terrain. I'm interested in the relationship between structure and function in such adaptable systems moving through variable environments.
While the underlying mechanisms may vary as we shift our focus from molecular motors to bacteria to animals, the larger questions remain the same:
- How do biological systems sense and respond to mechanical stresses in complex environments?
- What performance tradeoffs does adaptability/flexibility pose for biomechanical systems?
- How do flexible locomotive strategies affect the evolution of structure in locomotor systems?
We use both theory and experiment (laboratory + field) to answer these questions and are excited to work with techniques from biomechanics, biophysics, mechanical engineering, and more. Research in the lab currently centers around two broadly defined organismal systems: flagellated bacteria and walking panarthropods, but we are fascinated by a huge range of questions and organisms.
For more details on past and ongoing projects in the lab, check out our website (http://nirodylab.uchicago.edu) or get in touch to chat!
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
PhD - Biophysics
2017
New York University
New York, NY
BA - Mathematics and Biology
2008
Rockefeller University
New York
Fellow - Physics and Biology
All Souls College, University of Oxford
Oxford, UK
Fellow - Physics and Zoology
Cellular arrangement impacts metabolic activity and antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.
Cellular arrangement impacts metabolic activity and antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. PLoS Biol. 2024 Feb; 22(2):e3002205.
PMID: 38300958
Cell arrangement impacts metabolic activity and antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.
Cell arrangement impacts metabolic activity and antibiotic tolerance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. bioRxiv. 2023 Aug 28.
PMID: 37645902
Flexible locomotion in complex environments: the influence of species, speed and sensory feedback on panarthropod inter-leg coordination.
Flexible locomotion in complex environments: the influence of species, speed and sensory feedback on panarthropod inter-leg coordination. J Exp Biol. 2023 04 25; 226(Suppl_1).
PMID: 36912384
Universal Features in Panarthropod Inter-Limb Coordination during Forward Walking.
Universal Features in Panarthropod Inter-Limb Coordination during Forward Walking. Integr Comp Biol. 2021 09 08; 61(2):710-722.
PMID: 34043783
Tardigrades exhibit robust interlimb coordination across walking speeds and terrains.
Tardigrades exhibit robust interlimb coordination across walking speeds and terrains. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021 08 31; 118(35).
PMID: 34446560
ATP synthase: Evolution, energetics, and membrane interactions.
ATP synthase: Evolution, energetics, and membrane interactions. J Gen Physiol. 2020 11 02; 152(11).
PMID: 32966553
Load-dependent adaptation near zero load in the bacterial flagellar motor.
Load-dependent adaptation near zero load in the bacterial flagellar motor. J R Soc Interface. 2019 10 31; 16(159):20190300.
PMID: 31575345
Biophysics at the coffee shop: lessons learned working with George Oster.
Biophysics at the coffee shop: lessons learned working with George Oster. Mol Biol Cell. 2019 07 22; 30(16):1882-1889.
PMID: 31322997
Geckos Race Across the Water's Surface Using Multiple Mechanisms.
Geckos Race Across the Water's Surface Using Multiple Mechanisms. Curr Biol. 2018 12 17; 28(24):4046-4051.e2.
PMID: 30528580
Catch bond drives stator mechanosensitivity in the bacterial flagellar motor.
Catch bond drives stator mechanosensitivity in the bacterial flagellar motor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 12 05; 114(49):12952-12957.
PMID: 29183968