Skip to main content

Some proteins form gels, some provide molecular transportation, and still others, such as spider silk, are stronger than steel by weight. Neville Bethel wants to understand how microscopic molecules combine to take on such diverse roles. After creating a collection of protein fibers from scratch, Bethel will test them to learn which molecular interactions give rise to which mechanical properties. Then, he’ll create a computational model that can predict those properties from a protein’s structural code.