Sean Shaheen

Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Research Interests:

Protein-Protein Interactions

Dr. Shaheen’s background is largely in the field of organic photovoltaic device physics and engineering. As an affiliate of ERI, he brings his knowledge of the interactions between organic molecules to bear on problems in the biological sciences. He is interested in biophysics both at the molecular and systems levels. Through collaborations with other ERI members, he is currently studying protein-protein interactions involved in pathways leading to diseases such as autism and Alzheimer's. One current project is to study how nanoparticles introduced into a protein’s environment can alter its reaction kinetics. He is also interested in using bioinformatics and protein data mining to uncover correlations in protein sequences that may reveal a protein’s phenotypic function. In general, he is interested in understanding the dynamics and rich behaviors possible in complex biological systems such as protein interaction networks and neuronal networks.