Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2026

Biophysicist in Profile

Deredge’s connection to the Biophysical Society goes back to his first major scientific conference, the BPS Annual Meeting, attended as a graduate student in the mid-2000s. “I remem ber being struck by the breadth and depth of the science and by the intellectual energy of the community,” he recalls. “I left that meeting convinced that this was a community I wanted to be part of.” That meeting was held in Baltimore, Maryland, the city where Deredge now works and lives. “I am reminded of that meeting almost weekly as I drive past the convention center,” he says. He now serves as faculty advisor to a Biophysical Society Student Chapter at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, an initiative he sees as emblematic of what makes the Society valuable. Beyond the Annual Meeting and the pages of Bio physical Journal —an important outlet for his group’s work—it is the Society’s investment in the next generation of scientists that he finds most meaningful.

virology. A central focus is the NS5 protein of the Dengue virus, the largest and most conserved protein the virus produces, and a compelling target for therapeutic intervention. The lab uses HDX-MS alongside cryo-electron microscopy and computa tional modeling to map the protein’s conformational landscape: the range of shapes it adopts and how those shapes relate to its function. The goal is not only to understand NS5, but to use that understanding to guide the development of antivirals. Increasingly, machine learning is entering the picture. “The future lies in tightly coupling experiment, simulation, and machine learning so that we do not just observe dynamics, we model them quantitatively and use them to guide intervention,” Deredge says. He describes his broader vision for the field in terms that are both ambitious and grounded: “I hope to con tribute by advancing HDX-MS toward high-resolution, quanti tative structural modeling and by applying these approaches to translational challenges such as antiviral development against Dengue.” Running an interdisciplinary lab is not a simple undertaking. Deredge identifies it as the biggest challenge of his career so far. “Integrating advanced mass spectrometry, high-per formance computing, and translational virology requires infrastructure, collaboration, and a shared language across disciplines,” he says. His approach has been to lean into collab oration and mentorship, building a team comfortable thinking in both experimental and computational registers. The effort, he says, has also been the most rewarding of his professional life. When asked what he finds most rewarding about his work, the answer has shifted over the years. Early in his career, it was the clean satisfaction of research done well. “Formulating a hy pothesis grounded in careful observation, rigorously testing it, and discovering that the data support your mechanistic insight,” he says. Now, something else has moved to the foreground. “Observing the transformation of trainees and students as they develop technical skills, intellectual independence, and scientif ic judgment and ultimately begin to think and act as scientists has become profoundly meaningful.” Daniel J. Deredge at an early social event for the University of Maryland, Baltimore BPS Student Chapter.

Ask Deredge what he loves about biophysics and the answer reveals both the scientist and the teacher. “Biophysics seeks to explain how biological observations happen as they do through a foundation rooted in fundamental, quantitative, physics-based principles,” he says. “It asks not just what happens in biology, but why and how, and does so using the language of thermo dynamics, mechanics, and molecular interactions.” It is a framework he finds both

Daniel J. Deredge poses in a frame used for social media photos during Biophysics Week 2024.

intellectually elegant and practically powerful. “Biophysical insight plays a critical role in pharmaceutical and biomedical development, guiding everything from understanding disease mechanisms to designing therapeutics. For me, that combi nation—quantitative rigor and real-world impact—is what makes biophysics so compelling.” To younger scientists considering the field, Deredge offers advice that reflects his own trajectory: “Do not be afraid of technical difficulty—that is often where the most meaning ful and impactful science resides. Develop depth in at least one area but remain intellectually curious across disciplines. Biophysics thrives at the interfaces between fields.” Above all, he emphasizes resilience: “Progress in our field often requires sustained effort and resilience in the face of uncertainty.”

April 2026

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