Casim Sarkar, PhD

Casim A. Sarkar is an associate professor of bioengineering and director of graduate studies in bioengineering at the University of Minnesota, where his research on the molecular engineering of cell-signaling systems has produced new frameworks for understanding and manipulating the proteins that govern how cells sense and respond to their environment. Sarkar earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin before completing his doctorate in chemical engineering at MIT, where his dissertation examined cytokine engineering through the lens of ligand-receptor dynamics — specifically using granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as a model system. His work, combining quantitative modeling with molecular engineering, contributed to approaches for redesigning signaling proteins with altered potency or specificity. At the University of Minnesota, he is an associate professor of bioengineering and director of graduate studies, where his lab continues to develop engineering strategies for modulating cell fate decisions.