Markus Deserno Elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society

Markus Deserno, professor of physics at Carnegie Mellon University’s Mellon College of Science, has been elected as a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS).

The APS limits the number of fellows to no more than one-half of one percent of its members; this year 168 fellows were selected. Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers. Fellows are elected based on their contributions to physics, through research, application of physics, leadership and service or physics education.

Deserno was nominated by the APS Division of Biological Physics “for pioneering contributions to the theory and simulation of biological membranes and proteins, and their interactions, leading to improved understanding of cellular mechanics and self-organization.”

Deserno’s work focuses on the physical problems that occur within the context of molecular cell biology, focusing on cells’ lipid membranes and the molecules that interact with those membranes to carry out vital processes. His coarse-grained simulations have been used to explain a number of cellular processes, including dynamin-driven membrane fission and viral assembly.

The American Physical Society is a non-profit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy and international activities. APS represents over 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry in the United States and throughout the world.