Hawa Racine Thiam

Hawa Racine Thiam is an Assistant Professor at Stanford University whose research integrates cell biology, biophysics, and immunology to understand how physical forces within cells regulate structure, function, and immune responses. Her work focuses on chromatin organization, nuclear mechanics, and how mechanical forces generated by chromatin influence plasma membrane tension, cell integrity, and immune defense processes independently of gene expression. A central theme of her research is NETosis, a form of immune cell death, where she investigates how cytoskeletal disassembly, chromatin decompaction, and nuclear envelope rupture drive immune function. Using advanced microscopy, quantitative biophysics, and computational modeling, her group studies cell mechanics across multiple length scales. Her research has been published in leading journals including PNAS, Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Current Biology, and PLOS Computational Biology, contributing foundational insights into the mechanical regulation of immune and cellular processes.