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Professor Cyrus R. Safinya
Phone: 805-893 8635 (office)
(805) 893 4859 (laboratory)
(805) 893 5366
(Administrative Assistant)
FAX: (805) 893 7221
E-mail: safinya@mrl.ucsb.edu
Group Webpage
Structures of Lipid-DNA Complexes
Supramolecular Assembly of Cell Cytoskeletal Proteins
Development of Lipid-Based Vectors for Gene and Drug Delivery Applications
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Cyrus R. Safinya received a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Bates
College in 1975. He received his Ph.D. degree in Physics in 1981
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his work on "X-ray
Scattering Study of the Critical Behavior of Binary Liquid Crystal
Mixtures" under the supervision of Professor Robert J.
Birgeneau (current President of UC Berkeley). In 1981,
he joined the Exxon Research and Engineering Company in New Jersey
and conducted research on the structure of complex fluids and
biological membranes. He joined the faculty of the University of
California at Santa Barbara as a Professor of Materials and Physics
in 1992. His group's research is focused on elucidating
structures and interactions of supramolecular assemblies of
biological molecules. This includes understanding structures of DNA
condensed by oppositely charged lipids and multivalent counter-ions
in vitro and the relationship with condensed DNA in vivo, and
developing a fundamental understanding of interactions between cell
cytoskeletal proteins and their associated molecules which leads to
their distinct structures (related to their specific functions in
cells) on the nanometer to the many micrometer scales. A major
project in the group has the goal of developing lipid and polymer based
non-viral vectors (carriers) of DNA, peptides, and proteins for gene
and drug delivery applications. Structures are solved by combining
reciprocal space and real space data resulting from x-ray diffraction
and scattering, light-microscopy differential-interference-contrast
and three-dimensional confocal imaging, and electron microscopy experiments.
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Selected Appointments, Honors
- Professor of Materials & Physics, UC-Santa Barbara 1992–
- Professor of Biomolecular Science & Engineering, UC-Santa Barbara 1994–
- Member of Technical Staff, Exxon Research & Engineering Co. 1981-1992
- Editorial Board (2000-) Publishing program, Molecular & Chemical Sciences, Gordon & Breach
- Editorial Board (2000-2003), Molecular Therapy (American Society of Gene Therapy)
- Panel Member, National Academy of Sciences-National Research
Council Committee on Developing a Federal Materials Facilities Strategy
(1999).
- Section Editor (1995-1997), Biomaterials, Current Opinion in Solid State & Materials Science (Current Chemistry)
- Frontiers in Materials Lecturer, Penn State (2001)
- Plenary Lecture, 9th International Conference on Organized Molecular Films, Potsdam, Germany (2000)
- Keynote Speaker, 74th Colloid & Surface Science Symposium, ACS, Lehigh University (2000)
- Plenary Lecture, 27th International Liquid Crystal Conference, Strasbourg, France (1998)
- Fellow, The American Association for the Advancement of Science (elected 1997)
- University of Wyoming Chemistry Department's Endowed Summer Lectures (1997)
- Fellow, The American Physical Society (elected 1994)
- Rothschild Fellow, Henri De Rothschild Foundation, Curie Institute, Paris, 1994
- Chair, The first Gordon Research Conference on Complex Fluids (1990)
- Chair, The first MRS Symposium on Complex Fluids (1989)
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