Daniel Milshteyn

Profile

Profile

I am a fourth year Ph.D candidate in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry in the lab of Dr. Itay Budin. I study the regulation of negatively curved lipids in organelle membrane dynamics and environmental adaptation. My primary research focuses on the biophysical roles of cholesterol in mitochondrial fission driven by multi-organelle contacts. In addition, I collaborate with scientists from the Extreme Biophysics Research Coordination Network to understand the roles of lipids in adapting model organisms to survive in deep-sea or high-pressure environments. I am training in interdisciplinary approaches including super resolution live-cell microscopy, membrane biophysics, and synthetic biology to understand the implications of lipid composition across scales from cell membranes to organismal physiology and disease. It is an immense privilege to be nominated and supported for the ARCS award. Motivated by ARCS, I hope to conduct impactful research, reciprocate my scientific development through mentoring, and connect myself with the scientific and local communities of San Diego.