Biophysical Society Bulletin | November 2025

November 2025

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY

Biophysical Society Names Fellows for 2026 The Biophysical Society is proud to announce that it has named five distinguished members as its 2026 Class of Fellows. This award is given to Society members who have demonstrated sustained excellence in science and have contributed to the expansion of the field of biophysics. The newest honorees will be recognized during the Biophysical Society’s 70th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Califor nia. The 2026 Fellows are:

Kenneth J. Breslauer

Susan K. Buchanan

Deborah Leckband

Alexander D. MacKerell, Jr. Huan-Xiang Zhou

Kenneth J. Breslauer , Linus Pauling Distinguished Professor, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA, for founda tional thermodynamic databases that map the energy linkage between DNA sequence domains, structural motifs, and biological functions, including the rational design of primers/probes that optimize diagnostic protocols. Susan K. Buchanan , National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, USA, for her struc tural analysis of outer membrane protein folding and insertion, and for structural insights into small and large molecule active transport across the outer membrane.

Deborah Leckband , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, for pathbreaking research in biophysics that has trans formed our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of bio molecular mechanics and force transduction. Alexander D. MacKerell, Jr. , University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA, for the profound and far-reaching impact of his work on the growing use of computer simulations in the chemical and biologi cal sciences, as well as in pharmaceutical discovery. Huan-Xiang Zhou , University of Illinois Chicago, USA, for his groundbreaking research integrating theories, computational methods, and experiments for understanding protein-protein association, macromolecular crowding, and biomolecular conden sates.

President’s Symposium at BPS2026 Sunday, February 22, 2026, 10:45 AM–12:45 PM Communicating the Value of Biophysics in a Changing World

See page 8 for more details

Inside

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Biophysicist in Profile

Communities

Stay Connected with BPS

Public Affairs Publications Member Corner Annual Meeting

Career Development

In Memoriam

Important Dates

Biophysicist in Profile

Alisha Jones Area of Research RNA structural biology, biophysical chemistry, and chemical biology

Institution New York University

At-a-Glance

Alisha Jones , Assistant Professor of Chemistry at New York University, has pioneered new approaches in RNA structural biology since discovering her passion for biophysics as a high school student in Toledo, Ohio. Her research focuses on developing methods to study how RNAs transition between different structured states, with the ultimate goal of creating tools that make it easier to investigate RNA conformational dynamics regardless of molecular size.

Alisha Jones

For Alisha Jones , the journey into biophysics began not in a university lecture hall, but in a high school laboratory in Toledo, Ohio. As a junior in high school, she was selected to participate in the American Chemical Society’s Project SEED Program. Jones spent a transformative summer in Ronald Viola ’s lab at the University of Toledo, learning the fundamen tals of biochemistry. Looking back at slides from her first lab presentation, she finds them “hilarious, to say the least,” but they document a passionate, ambitious 16-year-old studying aspartate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (ASADH) as a poten tial target for antimicrobial development. “I aimed to determine their structures by x-ray crystallogra phy to facilitate structure-based drug design,” Jones recalls of her initial plan to work with ASADH from six different species. She managed to generate plasmids for all six species, suc cessfully expressing and purifying only one protein, but the experience was formative. “That was a really cool summer—I returned the following year to tackle a different project and have been doing research ever since,” she shares. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Jones moved with her family to Toledo around age 10, where she remained until leaving for college. Neither of her parents worked in science—her mother was a nurse and her father a construction worker—but they recognized early signs of scientific curiosity. “I think my parents always had a hunch that I was going to be a scientist,” Jones remembers. “I mixed a lot of things together in their bathroom.” Jones pursued her undergraduate education at Miami Univer sity, earning her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and zoology before heading to the University of Washington for her PhD in chemistry. It was during graduate school that she found her true calling in RNA structural biology, drawn by two specific interests: learning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spec troscopy and developing drugs for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Gabriele Varani ’s lab at the University of Washing ton offered the perfect intersection of both. “The lab that I joined used NMR to determine structures of RNA to facilitate

the structure-based design of peptides that could bind those RNAs with high affinity,” she provides. Her first doctoral project focused on designing peptides that could bind to the HIV transactivation response element, to block its interaction with the HIV trans-activator protein. “Blocking this interaction prevented transcription of the viral RNA,” Jones explains. “This project highlighted the importance of RNA structure.” Jones’s subsequent work on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) revealed fascinating insights about evolutionary conservation. She discovered that the Cyrano lncRNA, crucial for embryonic development, adopts a structure that is conserved across species as evolutionarily distant as zebrafish and humans; remarkably, this structural conservation was maintained despite the RNA lacking sequence conservation. Although she found the project engaging, it also exposed significant limita tions in existing methodologies. She notes, “Their large sizes complicate NMR spectroscopy. Their dynamic nature makes x-ray crystallography a nightmare.” This realization sparked a pivotal decision: going forward, she would focus on studying large RNAs and on developing biochemical and biophysical methods to make it easier to investigate them. As a postdoctoral researcher, Jones demonstrated the critical role of RNA structures across diverse cellular processes, including T cell activation, microRNA processing, X-chro mosome inactivation, and viral replication. These findings reinforced her conviction that understanding RNA structure is fundamental to understanding cellular function. Today, Jones serves as Assistant Professor of Chemistry and holds the James Weldon Johnson Assistant Professor Chair at New York University. Her laboratory focuses on developing and applying methods to investigate how RNAs transition be tween different structured states. “This is important because it establishes a fundamental model for how RNAs function but also broadens the structures one can therapeutically tar get when an RNA is implicated in a disease,” she explains. The

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Biophysicist in Profile

Officers President Lynmarie K. Thompson President-Elect Karen G. Fleming Past-President Gabriela K. Popescu Secretary Teresa Giraldez Treasurer Samantha Harris Council

work sits at the intersection of RNA structural biology, biophysical chemistry, and chemical biology—fields that demand both technical precision and creative problem-solving. When asked about the biggest challenge in her career, Jones mentions something many people struggle with: responding to emails in a timely manner. “I am still working on that,” she admits. “If you’ve emailed me and I haven’t responded to you, I promise, it is me, not you. ChatGPT told me that one way to tackle this is to set a specific time in the day to answer the emails. Someone else told me to answer the emails that are super easy right away and save the emails that take time for later. I am still facing this. If you have ideas, let me know. Otherwise, email me again.” What captivates Jones most about biophysics is its foundation in audacious thinking. “I think the approaches we use come from crazy ideas that on paper must work, and we somehow find a way to make it work in the end,” she says. The most rewarding moments in her work come from those spontaneous break throughs: “I really enjoy going into the lab with a ‘4 AM thought,’ expanding on it in my note book, giving it a go, and finding that it works!” Those “4 AM ideas” often draw inspiration from unexpected sources, which is one reason Jones values the Biophysical Society and its Annual Meeting. “It’s sometimes helpful to be in an environment outside the lab to hear about new methods or approaches,” she

reflects. “I like to cast a wide net for inspiration. You never know where your next 4 AM idea will come from.” Looking toward the future, Jones’s plans involve translating ideas and approaches common in protein research and applying them to RNA. Her ultimate goal is to develop a new method that makes it easier to study the conformational dynamics of RNA, regardless of its size. Outside the laboratory, Jones maintains diverse interests that reveal a creative spirit extending beyond science. She’s an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, enjoys building Lego sets, and likes wandering a city or hiking in nature. She also likes going dancing with friends, cycling long distances, and thrifting for vin tage 90s clothing. If circumstances had led her down a different path, she imagines she might have become an architect or a writer—profes sions that, like science, value both creativity and precision. For young scientists entering the field, Jones offers advice rooted in her own experience. “I think biophysics is driven by creativity,” she says. “That crazy idea that you have—give it a try! Use your colleagues and advisors to help refine your idea. It could be the next big thing.” Bold ideas, persistent curiosity, and collabora tive refinement can transform even the most audacious 4 AM thoughts into meaningful scientific contributions.

Silvia Cavagnero Margaret Cheung Theanne Griffith Taviare Hawkins Ryota Iino Anne Kenworthy

Emmanuel Margeat Elizabeth Rhoades Renae Ryan Tamar Schlick Jing Xu Biophysical Journal Vasanthi Jayaraman Editor-in-Chief The Biophysicist Padmini Rangamani Editor-in-Chief Biophysical Reports

Jörg Enderlein Editor-in-Chief

Society Office Jennifer Pesanelli Executive Officer Newsletter

Executive Editor Jennifer Pesanelli Managing Editor John Long Production Ray Wolfe Meredith Zimmerman Proofreader/Copy Editor The Biophysical Society Newsletter (ISSN 0006-3495) is published eleven times per year, January-December, by the Biophysical Society, 6903 Rockledge Drive, Suite 540, Bethesda, Maryland 20817. Distributed to USA members and other countries at no cost. Canadian GST No. 898477062. Postmaster: Send address changes to Biophysical Society, 6903 Rockledge Drive, Suite 540, Bethesda, MD 20817. Copyright © 2025 by the Biophysical Society. Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Darren Early Laura Phelan

Support the Future of Biophysics Your contribution helps BPS provide opportunities for students and early career scientists, expand education and outreach, and strengthen our community worldwide. Every gift—large or small—makes a difference. Together, we can ensure that the next generation of biophysicists has the tools, support, and inspiration they need to succeed. GIVE TODAY! www.biophysics.org/DONATE

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Apply Now for the Biophysical Society’s 2025–2026 Congressional Fellowship Are you interested in applying your scientific expertise to influence science policy? Do you find the idea of spending a year on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, helping to shape policy exciting? The Biophysical Society’s Congressional Fellowship program offers a unique opportunity to be directly involved in the law-making process that affects research funding and regulation. This year-long fellowship allows scientists to use their knowledge to inform public policy, gaining firsthand experience of how Congress operates. Fellows will also participate in the prestigious AAAS Science and Technology Fellows program, which provides ongoing training and networking opportunities throughout and after the fellowship year. For more information, visit our website, or contact Leann Fox at fellows@biophysics.org or (240) 290-5606. The application deadline is December 12, 2025 .

BPS Congressional Fellow Joins Office of Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04)

candidates are unavailable. While critics say it suppresses wages, universities argue it is vital to maintaining US compet itiveness. Elite research institutions employing hundreds of international postdocs and faculty might now reconsider such hires. The American Immigration Lawyers Association condemned the policy as harmful and potentially unconstitutional, noting that only Congress can set visa fees. Immigration attorneys and university officials are urging foreign scholars to avoid travel abroad until details are clarified, including whether the fee applies to current H-1B holders. The rule allows case-by case fee waivers for hires deemed in the national interest, but universities warn that the added costs could sharply limit their ability to recruit international talent. DHS Proposes Major Changes to F-1 Visa Rules, Raising Serious Concerns for International Students The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed major changes to the F-1 student visa, replacing the flexible “duration of status” with a fixed stay of up to four years. Stu dents in longer programs would need to apply for extensions, granted only for limited reasons such as academic necessity, illness, or exceptional circumstances. The rule would also restrict academic flexibility: undergraduates could not change majors in their first year, and graduate students would be barred from changing programs entirely. Travel abroad during a pending extension could be treated as an abandonment of the request, further complicating students’ status. The Biophysical Society submitted comments noting that most PhD programs require five to seven years, and interna tional researchers play a vital role in US scientific progress.

Sarah Smaga , the BPS Congressional Fellow for 2025–2026, accepted a placement in the office of Representative Madeline Dean (D-PA 04). Dean sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee and serves on the Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, which oversees funding for the National Institutes of

Sarah Smaga

Health. Smaga has a degree in Molecular Biophysics and Bio chemistry from Yale University and spent almost seven years at the National Science Foundation Center for Genetically Encoded Materials at the University of California, Berkeley, most recently as Executive Director, before becoming a BPS Congressional Fellow. When asked what her plans for the Fellowship were, Smaga said “I’m honored to be the 2025–2026 Biophysical Society Congressional Fellow. I believe that now, more than ever, it is crucial that scientists engage in the political process. I am ea ger to gain firsthand experience in policymaking and oversight in the US Congress and to bring what I learn back to the BPS community.” White House Makes Changes to H-1B Visa Fees On September 19, President Donald Trump issued a procla mation requiring US employers to pay $100,000 per interna tional hire—in addition to existing H-1B visa costs. The move, framed as protecting American workers, significantly raises the financial burden on universities and research institutions that rely on global talent. The H-1B program lets employ ers hire foreign scientists and engineers when domestic

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Record Attendance at the 2025 Rally for Medical Research The 2025 Rally for Medical Research, the seminal advocacy event in support of medical research funding at the Nation al Institutes of Health (NIH), occurred on September 18 in Washington, DC. The Rally puts a spotlight on the incredible research that the NIH funds and asks Congress to ensure the maximum funding amount possible for the NIH in the next fis cal year. This year, a record number of participants, over 420 scientists, physicians, and patient advocates from 39 states, met with 258 Senators and Representatives along with their staffs. BPS was represented by Hyun Song , Adonis Rubio , Chloe Alston , and BPS staff member Leann Fox .

During the 2023–2024 academic year, international students contributed nearly $43.8 billion to the US economy and sup ported more than 378,000 jobs. In addition, BPS has joined a coalition letter and an amicus brief with the American Physi cal Society opposing the rule. NIH Announces New Application Structure for Funding International Collaborations On September 12, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a new application and award structure for any grant applications requesting funding for a “foreign compo nent.” Since a notice on May 9 announcing the intention to create this new structure, the agency has not issued awards to domestic or foreign entities (new, renewal, or non-compet ing continuation) that include a subaward to a foreign entity. Moving forward, the primary applicant organization for a grant must be located in the United States and leverage the NIH’s multicomponent or complex application package. The NIH noted that further resources, including FAQs and training, will be forthcoming.

In Washington, DC for the Rally for Medical Research (left to right): Leann Fox, BPS Director of Advocacy & Public Policy; Abby McGovern, Office of Rep. Richie Neal (D-MA-1); and Elizabeth Tapia and Gary Heimberg, National Brain Tumor Society.

Researchers, patient advocates, and physicians who participated in the 2025 Rally for Medical Research.

The Biophysical Society is grateful to its Industry Partners.

GOLD

For Industry Partner Membership information, contact alevine@biophysics.org. SILVER

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Publications

Know the Editor Brian Salzberg

Editor’s Pick

University of Pennsylvania Editor, Channels, Transporters, and Receptors Biophysical Journal

Brian Salzberg

What has been your most exciting discovery as a biophysicist?

Certainly, my most exciting discovery as a biophysicist was the finding of voltage-sensitive dyes, notably Merocyanine 540, with Larry Cohen and Vicencio Davila in 1972. I still remember the thrill that I experienced when, in the process of assaying fluorescent molecules for voltage sensitivity by applying depolarizing and hyperpolarizing steps to a volt age-clamped squid giant axon and measuring the attendant fluorescence changes, we needed to reduce the oscilloscope gain three clicks to accommodate the fluorescence signal on the oscilloscope screen. This was followed, many years later, by finding, in the course of looking for molecular indicators of membrane potential, that rapid changes in light scatter ing arising from mammalian nerve terminals in response to the action potential revealed angstrom-scale changes in the terminal diameter. At a cocktail party of non-scientists, how would you explain what you do? Very many, if not most, cellular processes depend upon changes in either the voltage across the membrane or rapid changes in intracellular calcium. We discovered how to mon itor these events by optical means, introducing molecular in dicators of both voltage (potentiometric dyes with Cohen and Davila) and changes in intracellular calcium (first the calcium indicator Arsenazo, with Joel Brown , Paul Deweer , Cohen, and others). Optical techniques tend to be noninvasive, and I have worked to improve these, particularly the use of voltage-sen sitive dyes and light scattering.

Biophysical Journal Bayesian analysis and efficient algorithms for single-molecule fluorescence data and step counting Chiara Mattamira, Alyssa Ward, Sriram Tiruvadi Krishnan, Rajan Lamichhane, Francisco N. Barrera, and Ioannis Sgouralis “Who amongst us has not felt a secret shame when Yale Gold man passes by in his Miata convertible with that ‘No Ensem ble Averaging’ sign emblazoned on the door (photo available upon request)? We all use ensemble averaging when single molecule techniques might give us more information, but frankly the latter are a nuisance. How do you sift through noise to find those step-like intensity changes from photo bleaching of individual molecules? The beauty of ensemble techniques like FPR/FRAP and FCS is that they pull signal out of the noise without pulling hair out of the head. A new paper in Biophysical Journal simplifies all this by pulling signal out of noise through a Bayesian nonparametric framework, with no a priori assumptions about molecular dynamics (unlike Hidden Markov Models) and no subjective bias from manual analysis. Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling enables robust counting of photobleaching steps in noisy data, even in high-through put, low signal-to-noise data applications. The paper has a beautiful demonstration of the technology on clustering of a receptor tyrosine kinase protein and clear instructions on how to make this work with a signal-to-noise ratio near 1. Give this a try and hold your head high when that feared Miata next drives into your lab!”

Version of Record Published August 20, 2025 DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2025.08.014

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Member Corner

Members in the News

Rae Robertson-Anderson , University of San Diego and Society member since 2011, received a 2025 Cottrell SEED Award.

Three Society members were collaborators on projects that won 2025 Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Awards: Angel Martí , Rice University and Society member since 2025; Penny Beuning , Northeastern University and Society member since 2007; and Lydia Kisley , Case Western Reserve University and Society member since 2019.

Rae Robertson- Anderson

Penny Beuning Lydia Kisley

Grants & Opportunities American Association of Blood Banks Early Career Scientific Research Grants Program Grants of up to $100,000 will support research projects on all aspects of blood banking, transfusion medicine, biotherapies, and patient blood management. Who can apply: To be eligible, an applicant must be a doctor (MD or PhD), medical technologist, or transfusion medicine or cellular therapies professional. “Early career” is defined as an investigator who has completed their ter minal research degree or medical residency (whichever is later) in the past 10 years and has not yet been awarded a substantial research grant. Deadline: December 1, 2025 Website: www.aabb.org/foundation/early-career-scien tific-research-grants-program

IBSA Foundation Fellowships and Research Equity Prize The IBSA Foundation awards six fellowships of €32,000 in the following research fields: dermatology, endocrinology, fertility/urology, orthopedics/rheumatology/pain medi cine, and healthy aging/regenerative medicine. In addi tion, a €5,000 Research Equity Prize will be given to the best scientific project carried out in a laboratory, research institute, or university based in a developing country. Who can apply: Applicants of any nationality must be under 40 years old, and they must have a degree in medi cine, biology, pharmacy, biotechnology, or bioengineering. Open to PhD students, PhDs, postdocs, and residents, but not those in permanent positions such as professors. Deadline: January 31, 2026 Website: www.ibsafoundation.org/en/fellowship/call 2025

Student Spotlight Effibe Ahoulou

University of California, Davis What do you think makes the study of biophysics unique?

I believe biophysics is an inherently interdisciplinary field that uniquely bridges chemical, biological, physical, and computational principles to address complex problems in biological systems. Biophysics enables the application of advanced biophysical techniques and the development of cutting-edge technologies and tools for research and diagnosis, all aimed at improving lives. This broad perspective provides students and early-career scientists with a rigorous scientific foundation while fostering innovation, collaboration, and diverse career opportunities across multiple disciplines.

Effibe Ahoulou

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Annual Meeting

President’s Symposium at BPS2026 Sunday, February 22, 2026, 10:45 AM–12:45 PM

Thank you to our sponsors:

Avanti Polar Lipids Bruker Chroma Technology Leica Microsystems Nanion Technologies Nuclera Sophion Bioscience

Jeremy M. Berg

Daniel Cohen

Sean Decatur

Theanne Griffith

Holden Thorp

Communicating the Value of Biophysics in a Changing World As scientists working at the interface of physics and biology, we are ideal communicators. We have a broad range of perspectives on science and its potential for improving human health, and we have experience learning, collaborating, and communicating across disciplines. This year’s President’s Symposium serves to inspire and empower biophysicists to tell stories about science and scientists that build public confidence in and enthusiasm for science. Join us for the President’s Symposium at BPS2026 in San Francisco, California, where Jeremy M. Berg , Sean Decatur , and Holden Thorp will discuss perspectives on the current crisis in US in vestment in science and approaches for conveying the value of research to human health and prosperity. Daniel Cohen and Theanne Griffith will provide specific examples of effective outreach activities being conducted by BPS members. Later that afternoon, Maggie Fink and Shahir Rizk will host a workshop titled “From Data to Dia logue: Artful Strategies against Misinformation” to further explore the role of art and storytelling as powerful tools to convey complex scientific information.

Don’t Forget... to submit a late abstract by the January 6, 2026 deadline to present your research!

Call for New and Notable Symposium Speakers The Biophysical Society is seeking suggestions from Society members for speakers to be featured in the annual New and Notable Symposium in San Francisco. This symposium is unique in that, through a series of brief talks, attendees hear about late-breaking and exciting science. If you have a colleague who should be considered, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/8MLQ7SF and complete the required information by December 1, 2025.

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Annual Meeting

Career and Networking Events Whether you’re a prospective student exploring top biophysics programs, a job seeker looking for resume feedback, or a mid-career professional seeking networking opportunities, this year’s Annual Meeting offers a diverse range of career-enhanc ing events tailored to every stage of your professional journey. To see a complete listing with additional detail, please visit: www.biophysics.org/2026meeting/program/professional-development-networking. Postdoctoral Breakfast Sunday, February 22, 7:30 am –8:30 am Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) Network Annual Meeting Mixer Sunday, February 22, 5:00 pm –6:30 pm

Life as a postdoc offers unique opportunities along with its chal lenges. Join this session to hear speakers share their experiences, take part in open Q&A, and connect with fellow postdocs. Gain new perspectives on navigating challenges and advancing your career. Teaching Science Like We Do Science Sunday, February 22, 2:00 pm –4:00 pm Teaching science has changed over the years. Educators at any level of biophysical science education will benefit from this interactive, hands-on workshop. The focus of the session will be on practice-applicable, easy-to-use strategies and tools that educators can use to assess how their teaching transcribes to their students and if changes to their educational methods are necessary. Don’t miss this session! From Data to Dialogue: Artful Strategies against Misinformation Sunday, February 22, 2:30 pm –4:00 pm Boost your science communication skills in this interactive workshop with Shahir Rizk and Maggie Fink . You’ll learn to explain complex ideas clearly, engage diverse audiences, and fight misin formation. We will discuss research surrounding science com munication and practical strategies on how to make our research accessible, inspiring, and impactful. PI to PI Mixer Sunday, February 22, 4:00 pm –6:00 pm Compare notes with colleagues one-on-one and discuss solu tions to issues that arise in the time between getting your job and getting your next promotion, including management of lab staff, getting your work published, and renewing your funding.

Build connections with fellow PUI faculty in this informal gather ing. Share experiences, exchange ideas, and expand your profes sional community—whether you’re new to a PUI or a seasoned professor. Biophysics 101 Monday, February 23, 1:30 pm –3:00 pm Biophysics 101 is an opportunity to learn about hot topics in biophysics from experts in the field. This year, we’re covering some of the exciting new applications of Artificial Intelligence in biophysics. NSF-NCEMS Beginner Hands-On Training: Four Data Science Techniques to Immediately Accelerate Your Research Monday, February 23, 1:30 pm –3:30 pm This beginner-friendly training session is your gateway to using these powerful tools without needing any prior coding experience or software setup. Hosted by the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Emergence in Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS), this hands-on session will equip you with the skills to harness the most widely used data science techniques. By the end of the session, you’ll have the chance to apply these techniques directly to your own datasets, empowering you to make more informed, impactful discoveries in your research. This training is designed specifically to benefit biophysicists, offer ing practical, easy-to-use methods that can be broadly applied across the field.

biophysics.org/ 2026meeting

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Annual Meeting

Speed Networking Monday, February 23, 4:30 pm –6:00 pm

NSF-NCEMS Intermediate Hands-On Training: Data Science Tools for Confidence, Complexity, and LLMs in Biophysical Research Tuesday, February 24, 1:30 pm –3:30 pm This intermediate-level training, presented by the National Sci ence Foundation (NSF) National Center for Emergence in Molecu lar and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS), builds on our popular beginner session and introduces powerful techniques to help biophysi cists make sense of messy, ambiguous, or incomplete data. The session is designed for biophysicists with some prior exposure to basic data science or machine learning; our beginner session is a great place to start! Annual Art of Science Contest Now Open Entries are due December 1, 2025 Do you have an eye-catching image that resulted from your research? Show the artistic side of scientific imaging. BPS members attending the 2026 Annual Meeting may enter the annual BPS Image Contest, The Art of Science. Monetary prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place. The 2026 Art of Science Image Contest is fully supported by Chroma Technology. Submit today at biophysics.org/2026meeting

Looking to grow your professional network? Join this fast-paced, fun event where Student and Early Career members connect with established biophysicists in quick five-minute conversations. Rotate through more than a dozen mentors, exchange ideas, and leave with valuable connections. Training Undergraduates in the Research Laboratory Tuesday, February 24, 12:00 pm –1:30 pm Get guidance on founding and establishing a research laboratory at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). Panelists are facul ty members at PUIs who have been successful in their positions and who will share their experiences and answer your questions. Careers Beyond the Bench: Moving to a World Outside the Lab Tuesday, February 24, 1:00 pm –2:30 pm Curious about where your skills can take you beyond the research lab? This panel will introduce career paths in consulting, industry, and academia, showing how scientific training translates into a wide range of opportunities. Hear directly from panelists who have made the transition themselves as they share their stories and the lessons they learned, while providing advice for navigat ing your own next steps.

Subgroup Saturday Symposia Saturday, February 21, 2026 Subgroup Symposia at the 2026 Annual Meeting are scheduled for morning and afternoon sessions to allow attendees to attend multiple Subgroup Symposia and to accommodate all research areas. Morning Sessions (8:30 AM – 12:30 PM) Bioengineering Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Macromolecular Machines & Assemblies Mechanobiology Membrane Structure & Function Membrane Transport Motility & Cytoskeleton Multiscale Genome Organization Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Afternoon Sessions (1:30 PM – 5:30 PM) Bioenergetics, Mitochondria & Metabolism Biological Fluorescence Biopolymers in Vivo Channels, Receptors & Transporters Cryo-EM Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Nanoscale Approaches Physical Cell Biology Theory & Computation

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Bioenergetics, Mitochondria, & Metabolism Subgroup Co-Chairs: Erin Seifert , Thomas Jefferson University, USA, and Pablo Peixoto , Baruch College, CUNY, USA 2026 Program Co-Chairs: Pablo Peixoto , Baruch College, CUNY, USA, and Natalie Niemi , Washington University School of Medicine, USA Symposium Title: Mitochondria-Cell Crosstalk: Multi-modal Signaling in Cellular Homeostasis Speakers Pinchas Cohen , University of Southern California, USA Mitochondrial Peptides Orchestrate Cellular Function Ian Collinson , University of Bristol, United Kingdom Mitochondrial Import and Import Failure: Tales of the Unexpected Natalie Niemi , Washington University School of Medicine, USA Mitochondrial Regulation from the Inside Out Sarah Nowinski , Van Andel Institute, USA Oxidative Mitochondrial Metabolism in the Control of Myogenic Differentiation Shey-Shing Sheu , Thomas Jefferson University, USA Lights, Magnetism, Action: Use Quantum Mechanics to Explore Oxidative Phosphorylation Activity of Heart Mitochondria Bioengineering Subgroup Chair: Kit Parker , Harvard University, USA Speakers Ellen Kuhl , Stanford University, USA Discovering the Physics of Food Francesco Pasqualini , University of Pavia, Italy Vertically Integrated Tools to Engineer Tissue Growth and Probe the Biophysics of Morphogenesis Crystal Ripplinger , University of California, Davis, USA Illuminating Autonomic Control of Cardiac Electrophysiology Mark Skylar-Scott , Stanford University, USA Liter-Scale Cell Production and Rapid 3D Bioprinting towards Whole Organ Engineering John Wikswo , Vanderbilt University, USA Instrument, Measure, Model, and Control: A Directed Walk Through Things Biological

Biological Fluorescence Subgroup Chair: Elizabeth Hinde , University of Melbourne, Australia Speakers Anna-Karin Gustavsson , Rice University, USA Multiplexed Whole-Cell Single-Molecule Super-Resolution Micros copy in 3D Suliana Manley , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland Smart Microscopy for Adaptive Imaging Erwin Peterman , Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands Combining Fluorescence Microscopy with Optical Tweezers to Shine Light on DNA and Chromosomes Sobhan Sen , Jawaharlal Nehru University, India Probing Ligand Binding to DNA G-Quadruplexes with Fluorescence and MD Simulation Jerome Wenger , CNRS Institut Fresnel, France Pushing the Boundaries of Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy towards Extended Concentration Range and Enhanced Sensitivity Biopolymers in vivo Subgroup Chair: Daryl Eggers , San Jose State University, USA 2026 Program Co-Chairs: Simon Ebbinghaus , Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and Alexander Buell , Technical University of Denmark, Denmark Speakers Dieter Braun , Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany Recreating the Rock-based RNA World at the Origin of Life Alexander Buell , Danmarks Tekniske Universitet, Denmark Probing IDP Assembly by Sequence-Perturbative Approaches Kendra Frederick , University of Texas Southwestern, USA Structural Determination of Neurodegenerative Disease Associat ed Proteins inside Cells Songi Han , Northwestern University, USA Tuning Biocompatible Polymers through Hydration Engineering Susan Marqusee , University of California, Berkeley, USA Labeling Rare and Transient States on the Landscape Joan-Emma Shea , University of California, Santa Barbara, USA Self-Assembly of the Tau Protein: Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation and Fibrillization Andrea Soranno , Washington University, USA Single-Molecule Spectroscopy of Disordered Proteins in Crowded Environments

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Annual Meeting

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Subgroup Chair: Lucia Chemes , Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina 2026 Program Co-Chairs: Keren Lasker , The Scripps Research Institute, USA, and Jackie Pelham , Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, USA Speakers Thomas Boothby , University of Wyoming, USA Disordered Proteins Interact with the Chemical Environment to Tune Their Protective Function during Drying Richard Kriwacki , St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA Roles of Biomolecular Condensates in Cancer Pilong Li , Tsinghua University, China Dominant-Negative Effects Due to Off-DNA Aberrant Condensates (ODACs) of Mutant Transcription Factors in Genetic Diseases Emma Morrison , Medical College of Wisconsin, USA Regulating Dynamic Disorder in Nucleosomes Sarah Rauscher , University of Toronto, Canada Studying the Effects of Perturbations on Disordered Protein En sembles using Simulations Elizabeth Rhoades , University of Pennsylvania, USA Functional Studies of Dysfunctional Proteins Macromolecular Machines & Assemblies Subgroup Chair: Seychelle Vos , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Speakers Trinity Cookis , University of California, Berkeley, USA Structural Diversity of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 Subtypes Carina de Oliveira Mann , Technical University of Munich, Germany Immune Recognition of Nucleic Acids: Mechanistic Insights from Cryo-EM Bostjan Kobe , The University of Queensland, Australia Using a Combination of Structural Biology Approaches to Charac terize the TIR-Domain Signalosome Michael Lawson , University of California, Los Angeles, USA Defining the Dynamics of Ribosomal Disassembly Doreen Matthies , NIH, USA Structure and Function of Magnesium Translocation Systems

Anne Wentick , Leiden University, The Netherlands Untangling Protein Aggregates in Neurodegenerative Disease Channels, Receptors & Transporters Subgroup Chair: Juan Du , Northwestern University, USA Speakers Diana M. Bautista , University of California, Berkeley, USA The Role of Scn1b in Mechanosensory Signaling and Behavior Charles Cox , Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Australia PIEZO Channel Auxiliary Subunits in Sensory and Non-Sensory Cells Josefina del Marmol , Harvard University, USA From Molecules to Mates: Structural Basis of Chemical Specificity in Insect Pheromone Receptors Tian Hua , iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University, China Structural Pharmacology Studies of Human Taste Receptors Eduardo Perozo , University of Chicago, USA Mechanotransduction Mechanisms Underlying Piezoelectric Motor Function in Prestin Thomas Voets , VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Belgium Targeting TRPM3 - A Heat Sensor on Steroids Cryo-EM Subgroup Chair: Elizabeth Kellogg , Cornell University, USA 2026 Program Co-Chairs: Amedee des Georges , New York Uni versity, USA; Bronwyn Lucas , University of California, Berkeley, USA; and Gabriele Cerutti , Columbia University, USA Speakers Phillip Erdmann , Human Technopole, Italy Bridging Scales with SOLIST: A Biopsy at the Nanoscale Juliette Fedry , Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecu lar Biology, United Kingdom CryoET Insights into Translation Regulation in Mammalian Cells Anthony Fitzpatrick , Columbia University, USA Pulsed-Laser Lensing for Phase Modulation in Electron Microscopy Ulrich Lorenz , École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland Advances in Microsecond Time-Resolved Cryo-EM Oliver Raschdorf , Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA Record-Breaking Results and New Structural Insights Enabled by Latest Cryo-EM Technology Rui Zhang , Washington University in St. Louis, USA Cracking the 9+2 Architecture of Motile Cilia

November 2025

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Annual Meeting

Kliment Verba , University of California, San Francisco, USA Structures of the PI3K α /KRas Complex on Lipid Bilayers Reveal the Molecular Mechanism of PI3K α Activation Michelle Wang , Cornell University, USA DNA Topology during Transcription through Chromatin Mechanobiology Subgroup Chair: Ovijit Chaudhuri , Stanford University, USA Speakers Andrew Holle , National University of Singapore, Singapore The Transcriptomic and Epigenetic Signature of Confined Migration Kostas Konstantopoulos , Johns Hopkins University, USA Cancer Cell Mechanosensing and Mechanointelligence Claudia Loebel , University of Pennsylvania, USA Lineage-Specific Nascent Matrix Labeling to Probe Cellular Mecha nosensing in Lung Remodeling Hadi Nia , Boston University, USA Crystal Ribcage Platform to Probe the Lung Mechanobiology in Health and Disease Lucy O’Brien , Stanford University, USA A Sensor of Cytoplasmic Density Directs Mechano-Osmotic Scal ing of Organ Size Andela Saric , Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Austria Mortal Matter that Controls Cell Shape Xavi Trepat , Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Spain Shape-Programmable Living Surfaces Membrane Fusion, Fission & Traffic Subgroup Chair: Yongli Zhang , Yale University, USA Speakers Ute Becherer , Universität des Saarlandes, Germany A Versatile Deep Learning ImageJ Plugin for Automated Analysis of Vesicle Exocytosis and Burst-Like Fluorescence Events Julien Berro , Yale University, USA Molecular Mechanisms for Steady Force Transmission during Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis Bianxiao Cui , Stanford University, USA Membrane Curvature-Induced Integrin Adhesion and Mechano transduction Ilya Levantal , University of Virginia, USA Novel Dimensions of Lipid Bilayer Asymmetry and Their Conse quences for Membrane Physiology

Satish Moparthi , Centre de Recherche en Myologie, France The Actin-Spectrin Submembrane Scaffold Restricts Endocytosis Along Proximal Axons Jose Rizo , University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA How Are Neurotransmitters Released in Microseconds Ling-Gang Wu , NINDS, USA 2025 KATZ AWARD LECTURE: Exo- and Endocytosis: Membrane Transformations, Molecular Mechanics and Functions Phyllis Hanson , University of Michigan, USA 2026 KATZ AWARD LECTURE: Stress, Rupture and Repair: Cellular Responses to Endolysosomal Damage Membrane Structure & Function Subgroup Chair: Markus Deserno , Carnegie Mellon University, USA Speakers Grace Brannigan , Rutgers University, USA Forensic Techniques for Catching Guilty Lipids Thais Enoki , University of São Paulo, Brazil Hidden Interactions, Visible Phases: Asymmetric Bilayers under Interleaflet Influence Hiroshi Noguchi , University of Tokyo, Japan Spatiotemporal Patterns of Membranes Induced by Molecular Binding/Unbinding Zheng Shi , Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA Cell Membrane Rupture Mediated by NINJ1 Fangwei Si , Carnegie Mellon University, USA How Do Bacterial Cells Manage the Membrane Space? Membrane Transport Subgroup Chair: Seok-Yong Lee , Duke University, USA Speakers Joel Butterwick , Yale University, USA How Insects Taste Sweet: A Molecular Mechanism for Sugar Selectivity Robert Edwards , University of California, San Francisco, USA Allosteric Regulation of Synaptic Vesicle Glutamate Transport Jiansen Jiang , NIH, USA Molecular Basis of Transport and Activity Regulation of Renal Drug Transporter OAT1 Maria Kurnikova , Carnegie Mellon University, USA Molecular Modeling Reveals Functional Mechanisms and Regula tion of Glutamate Receptor Complexes with Auxiliary Subunits

November 2025

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Annual Meeting

Motility & Cytoskeleton Subgroup Co-Chairs: Brett Colson , University of Arizona, USA, and Ekaterina Grishchuk , University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, USA Speakers Matt Caporizzo , The University of Vermont, USA Measuring Diastolic Function in Myocardial Slices from HFpEF Rats Leslie Leinwand , University of Colorado Boulder, USA KEYNOTE TALK: Translating Extreme Python Biology to Mammals Luke Rice , The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA Teaching a TOG New Tricks Steve Rosenfeld , Mayo Clinic, USA Non-Muscle Myosin II Is a Therapeutic Target in Cancer Charlie Scarff , Leeds School of Medicine, United Kingdom Myosin in Motion: Mechanistic Insights and Molecular Modulation Tom Surrey , Centre for Genomic Regulation, Spain Motor Properties Required to Organize Microtubule Networks into Bipolar Spindles Doug Swank , Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA Does Stretch Activation Increase Skeletal Muscle Endurance? Iva Tolić , Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia Mechanobiology and Universal Scaling of the Mitotic Spindle Chris Yengo , The Pennsylvania State University, USA Structural and Biochemical Insights into the Autoinhibition Mecha nism in Cardiac Muscle Myosin Nanoscale Approaches to Biology Subgroup Chair: Allison Squires , University of Chicago, USA Speakers Yang Liu , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA Advancing Super-Resolution Microscopy for Cancer Research Steve Presse , Arizona State University, USA Tracking without Localization Gabriela Schlau-Cohen , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Single-Molecule Pump-Probe Measurements of Photosynthetic Proteins Quan Wang , NIH-NIDDK, USA Ultraprecision smFRET and Real-Time Phosphorylation Sensing in an ABEL Trap

Haw Yang , Princeton University, USA Sub-millisecond Nanoscale Dynamics via Active Tracking Sin gle-Particle Spectroscopy Physical Cell Biology Subgroup Chair: Qiong Yang , University of Michigan, USA 2026 Program Chair: Robin Lee , University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA Speakers Elena Koslover , University of California, San Diego, USA From Mazes to Mingling: Transport and Mixing in Active Mitochon drial Networks Jian Liu , Johns Hopkins University, USA Mechanochemical Feedback Defines the Central Theme of Cellular Processes Jonathan Rodenfels , Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany Energetics of Biological Systems Allyson Sgro , Janelia Farms, USA Lineage-Associated Molecular Similarity Arises from Stochastic Biochemical Reactions Gurol Suel , University of California, San Diego, USA Ionic Interactions as a Biological Force Generator from Cells to Populations Single-Molecule Forces, Manipulation & Visualization Subgroup Co-Chairs: Jinqing Huang , Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China, and Keith Mickolajczyk , Rutgers Medical School, USA Speakers Scott Blanchard , St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, USA Parallel Stopped-Flow Interrogation of Diverse Biological Systems at the Single-Molecule Scale Matthew Comstock , Michigan State University, USA High-Resolution Fluorescence Plus Force Spectroscopy of RNA from Riboswitches to Telomerase Taekjip Ha , Harvard Medical School, USA Multimodal Single Molecule Analysis of CTCF Dynamics and Regu lation of Cohesin Barrier Function Eugene Kim , Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Germany Molecular Mechanism of Condensin II Activation

November 2025

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Annual Meeting

Sabrina Leslie , The University of British Columbia, Canada Single-Particle and Single-Cell Microscopy Advance the Bio physical Characterization, Understanding, and Optimization of Next-Generation Genomic Medicine Shixin Liu , The Rockefeller University, USA Visualizing Mammalian Transcription Elongation on DNA and Chromatin Peng Zheng , Nanjing University, China Computational Design of Ultrastable Protein via Hydrogen Bond Maximization for Extreme Environment Theory & Computation Subgroup Chair: Sarah Harris , University of Leeds, United Kingdom Speakers Sirish Kaushik Lakkaraju , Bristol Myers Squibb, USA MDFit: Using Machine-Learning to Predict Ligand Potency from Molecular Simulations

Alexander Pak, Institute of Science and Technology Austria, Austria Strategies to Perturb Protein Assemblies from a Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Perspective Karissa Sanbonmatsu, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA Multiscale Simulations at Biological Timescales: Simulating tRNA Dissociation from the Ribosome with MUON Postdoc Award Talk: Sergio Cruz-Leon, Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany Bridging in Situ CryoET and Multi-Scale Simulations for Biological Discovery Early Career Award Talk: Rafael Bernardi, Auburn University, USA Where Biology Meets Chemistry: Harnessing Computation to Reveal Life’s Strongest Bonds Mid-Career Award Talk: Margaret Johnson, Johns Hopkins University, USA Timing and Decision Making through Macromolecular Self-Assembly

BPS2026 IUPAB Lecturer

The IUPAB-sponsored invited speaker at BPS2026 will be Sigrid Milles , Junior Group Leader at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany. She will be speaking about “Intrinsically disordered regulators of endocytosis – an integrated NMR/single molecule fluorescence approach” at the 2026 Biophysical

Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco in February. Milles was trained as a biophysicist at Humboldt-Uni versität zu Berlin, after which she started a PhD in single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany. During this time, she studied the molecular mechanism of transport through the nuclear pore complex, focusing on the intrinsically disordered proteins that fill the inside of the pore. This interest in intrinsically disordered proteins brought her to the Institute de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble, France, as a postdoc, where she studied intrinsically disordered regions of the measles virus replication machinery by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. She was recruited as a researcher by the French National Centre for Scientific Research in 2017 and has led an independent, European Research Council–funded team since 2019. In 2022, she moved to FMP in Berlin, where she leads the Junior group “Integrated Structural Dynamics.” Milles’ group combines single-molecule fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy to understand the molecular working mechanisms of intrinsically disordered proteins across time- and length-scales. Biologically, the group focuses on the intrinsically disordered regions that regulate endocytosis and thus control a central uptake mecha nism of the eukaryotic cell that is important for cellular organization and communication in health and disease. Sigrid Milles

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November 2025

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