Current Members
Principal Investigator
Samrat Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology & Chemistry and JC Bose Fellow
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali
Fellow, Indian Academy of Sciences (FASc)
Fellow, Indian National Science Academy (FNA)
Editor, Biophysical Journal (Cell Press)
Chair-Elect, Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Subgroup, Biophysical Society (USA)
Visiting Professor, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
Short CV Complete CV About Samrat Mukhopadhyay Academic Genealogy
Academic Positions
Professor, IISER Mohali (October 2020 - present) IISER Mohali
Head, Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Mohali (July 2021 - June 2024)
Member, Academic Senate, IISER Mohali (May 2021 - present)
Associate Professor, IISER Mohali (September 2013 - October 2020)
Assistant Professor, IISER Mohali (December 2008 - September 2013)
Editorial Positions
Editorial Board Member, Biophysical Journal (Cell Press) (2020-present) Link
Editorial Board Member, Essays in Biochemistry (Biochemical Society, London) (2020-present)
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Cellular Biochemistry (Wiley) (2021-present)
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Journal of Physical Chemistry (ACS) (2019-present)
Education and Training
Postdoctoral Fellow: The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA (Molecular Biophysics) (2005-2008) Scripps
Postdoc Advisor: Prof. Ashok Deniz (Collaborator: Prof. Susan Lindquist, Whitehead Institute, MIT, Cambridge, USA).
Visiting Fellow: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai (Molecular Biophysics) (2004-05) TIFR
Ph.D.: Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (Organic Chemistry) (2000-2004) IISc
Title of Ph.D. Thesis: Synthesis and Aggregation Behavior of Novel Bile Acid Derivatives (Ph.D. Advisor: Prof. Uday Maitra)
M.S. (Integrated M.S. & Ph.D.): Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (Chemical Sciences) (1997-2000)
B.Sc.: Jadavpur University, Kolkata (Calcutta) (Honors in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science) (1994-1997)
Selected Publications
"Single-molecule FRET unmasks structural subpopulations and crucial molecular events during FUS low-complexity domain phase separation" A. Joshi, A. Walimbe, A. Avni, S. K. Rai, L. Arora, S. Sarkar & S. Mukhopadhyay* Nature Communications (2023) www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43225-y
"Heterotypic electrostatic interactions control complex phase separation of tau and prion into multiphasic condensates and co-aggregates" S. K. Rai, R. Khanna, A. Avni & S. Mukhopadhyay* Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (2023) 120, e2216338120.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216338120
"Single-Droplet Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Decodes the Molecular Determinants of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation" A. Avni, A. Joshi, A. Walimbe, S. G. Pattanashetty & S. Mukhopadhyay* Nature Communications (2022), 13, 4378.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32143-0
"Sub-stoichiometric Hsp104 regulates the genesis and persistence of self-replicable amyloid seeds of Sup35 prion domain" S. Mahapatra, A. Sarbahi, P. Madhu, H.M. Swasthi, A. Sharma, P. Singh & S. Mukhopadhyay*J. Biol. Chem. (2022) 298, 102143.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102143
"Spatiotemporal Modulations in Heterotypic Condensates of Prion and α-Synuclein Control Phase Transitions and Amyloid Conversion" A. Agarwal, L. Arora, S.K. Rai, A. Avni & S. Mukhopadhyay* Nature Communications (2022) 13, 1154.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28797-5
"Molecular Origin of Internal Friction in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins" D. Das* & S. Mukhopadhyay* Acc. Chem. Res. (2022), 55, 3470-3480. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00528
"Short-Range Backbone Dihedral Rotations Modulate Internal Friction in Intrinsically Disordered Proteins" D. Das, L. Arora & S. Mukhopadhyay* J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2022) 144, 1739–1747. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c11236
"An intrinsically disordered pathological prion variant Y145Stop converts into self-seeding amyloids via liquid-liquid phase separation" A. Agarwal, S.K. Rai, A. Avni & S. Mukhopadhyay* Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (2021)118, e2100968118.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100968118
"Hofmeister Ions Modulate the Autocatalytic Amyloidogenesis of an Intrinsically Disordered Functional Amyloid Domain via Unusual Biphasic Kinetics" P. Dogra, S.S. Roy, A. Joshi & S. Mukhopadhyay* J. Mol. Biol. (2020) 432, 6173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2020.10.015
"Intermolecular Charge-Transfer Modulates Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Liquid-to-Solid Maturation of an Intrinsically Disordered pH-Responsive Domain" P. Dogra, A. Joshi, A. Majumdar & S. Mukhopadhyay* J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2019) 141, 20380-20389.
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b10892
Members of the Mukhopadhyay Lab
Snehasis Sarkar (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: October 2022
Education: B.Sc. Microbiology (Dinabandhu Andrews College, University of Calcutta)
Research Interest: Biological complex coacervation; Phase behavior of FUS, TDP-43, and other IDP/IDRs in nuclear condensates; LLPS of viral proteins; Super-resolution microscopy, Single-molecule fluorescence studies, sm-FRET, FLIM imaging, Time-resolved anisotropy.
Favorite Quote: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Dhruba Chatterjee (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: February 2023 (Integrated MS-PhD Student)
Education: M.S. (Integrated MS-PhD) Biology (IISER Mohali, India)
B.Sc. (Hons.) Microbiology (Asutosh College, University of Calcutta )
Research Interests: LLPS in-cell, Phase separation of proteins on membranes, Confocal Microscopy, FLIM, FRAP and Super-resolution microscopy.
Favorite Quote: “A man who wins, is a man who thinks he can.”
Roopali Khanna (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: May 2021 (Integrated MS-PhD Student)
Education: M.S. (Integrated MS-PhD) Biology (IISER Mohali, India)
B.Sc. (Hons.) Microbiology (St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata)
Research Interests: Phase Separation, Molecular Biology, Confocal Microscopy, AFM and Fluorescence Spectroscopy.
Favorite Quote: “Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.”
Anuja Walimbe (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: January 2021
Education: M.S. (Integrated MS-PhD) Biology (IISER Mohali, India)
B.Sc. Microbiology (Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra, India)
Research Interest: Phase behavior of FUS, TDP-43, and other IDPs/IDRs in nuclear condensates; LLPS of viral proteins. Super-resolution microscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy.
Favorite Quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Anusha Sarbahi (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: January 2019
Education: M.S. (Integrated MS-PhD) Biology, (IISER Mohali, India)
B.Sc. Major Biomedical Sciences (University of Delhi)
Research Interest: Function prions and amyloid. Phase Behaviour of yeast prions and prion-like domains. Fluorescence spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy.
Favorite quote: "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
Sandeep K. Rai (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: August 2018
Education: M.Sc. Chemistry (Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, India)
B.Sc. (M.M.M. P.G. College, D.D.U. University, U.P., India)
Research Interest: Complex coacervation, and Phase separation of Tau, Prion and Prion-like proteins. Conformational heterogeneity and dynamism of polypeptide chains inside biomolecular condensates. Super-resolution Imaging, FRET. Anisotropy. Molecular biology.
Favorite Quote: “Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.”
Lisha Arora (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: August 2018
Education: M.Sc. Chemistry (National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India)
B.Sc. Major Chemistry (Kirorimal College, University of Delhi, India)
Research Interest: Conformational dynamics of IDPs/IDRs in the monomeric form, in phase-separated condensates, and in amyloids. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence depolarization. Fluorescence imaging.
Favourite Quote: “You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”
Ashish Joshi (Graduate Student)
Joined the lab: August 2018
Education: B.Tech. in Biotechnology (G.G.S. Indraprastha University, Delhi, India)
Research Interest: Phase behavior of FUS and other RNA-binding IDPs/IDRs. Conformational dynamics and distribution in biomolecular condensates. Time-resolved FRET and anisotropy. Super-resolution imaging.
Favorite Quote: “If you can take it, you can make it! So keep going champ.”
Ayush Gupta (MS Thesis Student)
Joined the lab: May 2024
Education: Integrated BS-MS (IISER Mohali, India)
Research Interest: Phase behavior of IDPs, Molecular biology, Fluorescence Microscopy, Super-Resolution Microscopy, Single molecule Biophysics.
Favorite Quote: “Every experience is impermanent.”
B Rakshana (MS Thesis Student)
Joined the lab: May 2024
Education: Integrated BS-MS (IISER Mohali, India)
Research Interest: Phase behavior of nuclear IDPs/IDRs, Molecular cloning, Fluorescence Microscopy, Single-molecule biophysics.
Favorite Quote: “You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.”
Keshav Jhalani (MS Thesis Student)
Joined the lab: May 2024
Education: Integrated BS-MS (IISER Mohali, India)
Research Interest: Phase Separation of IDPs/IDRs,, Molecular Biology, Confocal Microscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Single-molecule spectroscopy.
Favorite Quote: “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
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