Program Overview

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Introduction to the 2026 Biophysics Summer REU Program

The Research Experience for Undergraduates Program in Biophysics is funded by the National Science Foundation to support 10 highly qualified students to undertake interdisciplinary, supervised research projects at Clemson University, for a period of 10 weeks each summer. The 2026 Biophysics Summer REU program runs from May 18 - July 24, 2026.

Program Overview

Program participants work with faculty members, postdocs, graduate students, other undergrads, and each other on collaborative research projects about nature's machinery. Participants conduct independent and interdisciplinary research under the guidance of faculty mentors. The projects are designed to give participants a sense of the contributions that physical scientists can make to biological problems and the contributions that biologists can make to physical problems. The focus is on interdisciplinary training.

Program Components

The program includes:

• A weeklong biophysics boot camp
• A biophysics seminar series
• A research tools workshop
• A professional development workshop
• A journal club
• Off-campus field trips
• Social activities

Eligibility

To be eligible for the program, participants must:

• Have completed at least two semesters of college-level physical science/engineering or biological science/engineering by the start of the program in May 2026
• Be enrolled as an undergraduate at a two- or four-year institute of higher learning at the time of application
• Have an expected graduation date (earning a bachelor's or associate's degree) on or after December 2026
• Have an overall GPA of 3.2 or greater
• Major in natural science (biological or physical science), math, computer science, or engineering
• Attend all 10 weeks of the program (May 18-July 24, 2026)
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Provide a ranked list of five preferred mentors

Stipend and Housing

Participants receive a stipend of $7,000 for the 10-week program. Participants also receive on-campus housing in a residence hall with other REU students and a meal plan/supplemental compensation for meals.

Research Projects

The following research projects are available:

Actin Networks Remember: Investigating CaMKII's Impact on Cellular Architecture

• Mentor: Hugo Sanabria, Ph.D., physics and astronomy, medical biophysics graduate program
• Significance: The actin cytoskeleton plays a major role in determining the mechanical strength of cells.
• Research plan: The participant will employ experimental and imaging-based approaches to investigate how CaMKII affects the mechanical properties and structural memory of actin networks.

Nature's Machinery Response to Low-Dose X-ray Radiation

• Mentor: Delphine Dean, Ph.D., bioengineering
• Significance: Recent research suggests that low levels of radiation are not necessarily harmful to cells.
• Research plan: The participant will study the interaction between low levels of monochromatic soft X-ray radiation and biological tissues.

Transcription Regulation by Liquid Condensates

• Mentors: David Dunlap, Ph.D., and Laura Finzi, Ph.D., physics and astronomy, medical biophysics graduate program
• Significance: Liquid-liquid phase separation is a viable, less energetically costly alternative to membrane-enclosed compartments.
• Research plan: The participant will prepare condensates of relevant DNA sequences and proteins with or without a fluorescent label, measure their viscoelastic properties, and analyze data to understand the role of condensates in gene regulation.

Integrative Genomics and Proteomics to Identify Drug Targets in a Deadly Amoeba

• Mentors: Meredith Morris (cell biology, imaging), Ph.D., genetics and biochemistry, and James Morris (genetics), Ph.D., genetics and biochemistry
• Significance: Analysis of the genome of the "brain-eating amoeba" has revealed the conservation of many proteins involved in the biosynthesis of peroxisomes.
• Research plan: The participant will use informatic and newly developed genetic tools to identify the proteins that serve the functions of PEX 13 and 14.

Calibration of a Spatial Light Modulator for Single Particle Tracking Microscopy

• Mentor: Sheng Liu, Ph.D., biophysics
• Significance: A spatial light modulator is widely used in microscopy for aberration correction and structured illumination.
• Research plan: The participant will design and build a calibration path for an SLM and use the calibrated SLM to generate a donut beam pattern.

Using Single-Molecule Unfolding Experiments to Understand How Membrane Proteins Fold

• Mentor: David Jacobson, Ph.D., chemistry
• Significance: Membrane proteins perform essential functions in metabolism, transport, and signaling.
• Research plan: The participant will perform multiscale molecular dynamics simulations of amyloid-forming peptides and their interactions with candidate anti-amyloid agents.

Biophysical and Biochemical Dynamics of CO2-Responsive Enzymes in Cryptococcus neoformans

• Mentor: Andrew Jezewski, Ph.D., genetics and biochemistry
• Significance: Cryptococcus neoformans is a deadly fungal pathogen responsible for over 180,000 deaths annually.
• Research plan: The participant will investigate how CO2 modulates the expression, localization, structural, and functional properties of metabolic enzymes required for CO2 tolerance and virulence.

Decoding Interkingdom Chemical Warfare with Fluorescent and Single-Molecule Imaging

• Mentors: Stephen Dolan, Ph.D., Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, and Laura Finzi, Ph.D., Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Significance: Microbial communities constantly engage in competition and communication.
• Research plan: The participant will investigate how chemical cues from competing microbes activate the DnoR-DnoP regulatory pathway and reshape cellular stress responses.

Uncovering the Molecular Mechanisms of Amyloid Aggregation and Exploring Mitigation Strategies

• Mentor: Feng Ding, Ph.D., Department of Physics and Astronomy
• Significance: Deposition of amyloid aggregates is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and many other neurodegenerative disorders.
• Research plan: The participant will perform multiscale molecular dynamics simulations of amyloid-forming peptides and their interactions with candidate anti-amyloid agents.

Multimarker GrapheneQuantum Dot Sensors for Color-Encoded Biomolecular Detection

• Mentor: Ramakrishna Podila, Ph.D., Department Physics and Astronomy
• Significance: Biomarker panel measurements are rapidly becoming the gold standard for diagnosing complex diseases.
• Research plan: The participant will fabricate a multimarker biosensor by integrating graphene-based FET channels with differently sized CdSe quantum dots.