David Baker Washington

Professor David Baker is Head of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington, Henrietta and Aubrey Davis Endowed Professor in Biochemistry, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is a world-leading scientist in computational biology and protein science, known for pioneering methods to predict and design protein structures with atomic-level accuracy. His research integrates experimental and computational approaches to understand protein folding, protein–protein and protein–ligand interactions, and to design entirely new proteins with novel structures and functions, with broad implications for biology, medicine, and biotechnology. Representative publications include "Design, Optimization and Characterization of a de novo Gold Hydroaminase", and "De novo design of Ras isoform selective binders", which reflect their ongoing engagement with the field.