Yamuna Krishnan

Email: yamuna[at]uchicago.edu

2014 - Professor, University of Chicago
2014: Assoc Professor, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
2009-13: Reader, NCBS, Bangalore
2005-9: Fellow, NCBS, Bangalore
2001-05: 1851 Research Fellowship, University of Cambridge, UK
2002: Ph. D., Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore,
1997: M.S., IISc, Bangalore,
1993: B. Sc. Madras University

Our lab loves exploring the rich chemistry within the living cell’s myriad reaction vessels – its organelles. How does the lumenal chemical composition of an organelle – that has been optimized over evolutionary timescales – drive the biochemistry that occurs within to impact organelle function, thereby cell function, then tissue function and finally, organism physiology? To answer this, we build quantitative chemical maps of organelle lumens using the tools of bionanotechnology. Evolution has produced an overwhelming number and variety of biological devices that function at the nanoscale or molecular level. Bionanotechnology exploits our understanding of cellular machinery to develop solutions to problems in science and engineering. Our research exploits nucleic acid structure and dynamics to create DNA-based nanodevices for quantitative chemical imaging of living systems.