Dr. Del Lucent

Associate Professor
Math Physics and Computer Science

Stark Learning Center 441c
del.lucent@wilkes.edu
(570) 408-4834

Dr. Lucent is a Biophysics Researcher, who recently joined the Division of Engineering and Physics, as an Assistant Professor in Physics and Bioengineering. He specializes in the rational design of enzymes using computational techniques. He has used these enzymes for bioremediation efforts including detoxification of pesticides believed to be responsible for bee colony collapse. He conducted his research in Australia鈥檚 national laboratory, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organization) in Melbourne, Australia, for the past three years prior to joining our Division.

Wilkes students will benefit from Dr. Lucent鈥檚 other excellent research experience stemming from his Ph.D. studies at Stanford University analyzing the forces and mechanisms activating the self-assembly process of protein folding. His research is critical for opening pathways to the understanding, preventing, and curing of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Parkinson鈥檚 and other diseases caused by faulty protein folding.

Dr. Lucent鈥檚 addition to our Division brings our students access to Stanford University鈥檚 鈥渇olding at home鈥 computer network, (folding.stanford.edu), allowing students to engage in hands-on, computational-simulations and cutting-edge research with other scientists worldwide, a capability unavailable at most other engineering schools, especially at an undergraduate level.

Dr. Lucent will be joining Wilkes鈥 physics professor, Dr. Walter Placek, to spearhead the Division鈥檚 new B.A. in Physics degree, launching this semester. The degree will be offered along with a minor in education in order to fill the need for high school physics teachers. His goal is to implement a program that has the flexibility to allow students to pursue interdisciplinary physics research at the undergraduate level. He will also be an instructor in the M.A. Bioengineering program.

  1. Lucent D, Vishal V, Pande VS: Protein folding under confinement: a role for solvent. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2007, 104:10430-10434.
  2. England J, Lucent D, Pande VS: A role for confined water in chaperonin function. J Am Chem Soc. 2008 130(36):11838-9
  3. Lucent D, England J, Pande VS: Inside the chaperonin toolbox:theoretical and computational models for chaperonin mechanism. Phys. Biol. 2009 6(1):15003.
  4. Lucent D, Snow C, Aitken C, Pande VS: Solvent dynamics in the ribosome exit tunnel. PLoS Comp. Biol. 2010 6(10):e1000963.
  • 鈥淪imulations of protein folding using distributed computing鈥 正澳门六合彩开奖直播 2005 (Invited talk)
  • 鈥淧rotein folding under confinement: a new role for solvent?鈥 UCSF, Dill group 2006 (Invited talk)
  • "That鈥檚 not a moon, it鈥檚 a macromolecule! Studying solvent dynamics in the ribosome exit tunnel鈥 Stanford University Department of Structural Biology Annual Retreat 2008 (Invited Talk)
  • 鈥淐omputational enzyme design: Computers and pipettes united for a common cause!鈥 Protein Expression Workshop CSIRO 2011 (Invited Talk)
  • 1999-2003 Undergraduate Research. Advisor: William Terzaghi, 正澳门六合彩开奖直播 Dept. Biology
  • 2002-2003 Undergraduate Research, Advisor: John Orehotsky, 正澳门六合彩开奖直播 Dept. of Physics and Engineering
  • 2004 鈥 2009 Graduate Research, Advisor: Vijay Pande, Stanford University Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Structural Biology
  • 2010 鈥 2012 OCE Postdoctoral Fellow, Advisor: Tom Peat, CSIRO MSE, Parkville, Biophysics Group
  • American Society of Plant Biologists Undergraduate Research Fellowship (2001)
  • Outstanding Biology Graduate (2003)
  • Outstanding Student Researcher (2003)
  • Outstanding Graduate in the School of Humanities and Sciences (2003)
  • Magna cum laude, 正澳门六合彩开奖直播
  • Office of the Chief Executive Post Doctoral Fellowship (2009)