Richard Mariadasse, PhD

Richard Mariadasse, Ph.D., is a Structural Biologist and Cryo-Electron Microscopy researcher specializing in membrane protein structure, molecular mechanisms, and computational Electrophysiology. He earned his Ph.D. in Structural Biology from Alagappa University, where he focused on macromolecular crystallography and solved both protein and small-molecule crystal structures using X-ray crystallography. He subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Konkuk University, where he performed quantum chemical simulations and computational studies to identify rate-limiting steps in biochemical pathways and enzyme-catalyzed reactions, aiming to improve product conversion efficiency and understand catalytic mechanisms at the molecular level. Currently, he serves as a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine. His research focuses on the structural and functional mechanisms of membrane proteins, particularly the outer hair cell motor protein Prestin (SLC26A5), using advanced Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM/ET), electrophysiology, molecular dynamics simulations, and computational modeling approaches. His work aims to uncover how voltage sensing, ion interactions, and conformational dynamics regulate Prestin function in cochlear amplification and hearing. Richard is passionate about exploring the complexity of proteins and believes that proteins are as fascinating and mysterious as black holes, with countless hidden mechanisms waiting to be uncovered. He believes that advanced structural biology techniques such as X-ray crystallography and Cryo-EM/ET provide unprecedented opportunities to understand the fundamental principles of life at atomic resolution.