Taeyoon Kim

Title:

Assistant Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Contact:

Email Address: kimty@purdue.edu

Primary Training Group:

Computational and Systems Biology

Secondary Training Groups:

Biomolecular Structure and Biophysics

Current Projects:

The previous focus of my work has been on the development and use of computer simulations to address fundamental questions about the mechanics and dynamics of passive actin cytoskeleton. I developed a state-of-the-art agent-based model for actin cytoskeleton that computes macroscopic dynamics from realistic nano-scale representations of cytoskeletal constituents. Using the model, I have shown how the mechanical and dynamic properties of the cytoskeletal components at a microscopic scale determine the rheological behaviors of the actin cytoskeleton at a macroscopic scale. These studies have revealed key mechanistic features of actin cytoskeleton that current experimental approaches have been unable to illuminate. My lab has recently focused on elucidating mechanisms of actomyosin contractility using the computational models. We incorporated molecular motors in the previous model with reflection of realistic mechanochemistry of myosin II motors. We have shown how forces are generated in disorganized actomyosin structures such as cortex-like networks and bundles and how actomyosin contractility helps cells sense the rigidity of surrounding environments. Research areas in which my lab is interested for a longer term are various biological processes at cellular and tissue scales. Currently, we are developing models for cell migration, mechanotransduction, and early-stage vasculogenesis.