Biography
Paul W.K. Rothemund is a senior research fellow at the Computation and Neural Systems department at Caltech. He has become known in the fields of DNA nanotechnology and synthetic biology for his pioneering work with DNA origami. Rothemund is a 2007 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship.
Rothemund graduated from Laconia High School in 1990. He was the team captain of the championship Laconia team for the television quiz show Granite State Challenge. After graduating, Rothemund studied as an undergraduate at Caltech from 1990–1994, where he was a resident of Ricketts House.
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As a research fellow at Caltech, Rothemund has developed a technique to manipulate and fold strands of DNA known as DNA Origami. Eventually, Rothemund hopes this technology could be used to create microscopic organisms with multiple purposes. The DNA created would be able to devour certain pollutents in the air, or be able to determine which cells in a person's body are cancerous and destroy them before the cancer spreads. His work on large-scale sculptures of his DNA Origami was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from February 24 to May 12, 2008.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.