Dan Morse

Biography

BA Biochem, Harvard; PhD Molec Biol, Einstein; Postdoc Molec Genet, Stanford; Endowed Chair Microbio Molec Genet, Harvard Medical; Wilcox Chair Biotechnol, UCSB; now Distinguished Prof Molec, Cell, Devel Biol & Biomolec Sci & Eng, UCSB. Emeritus Founding Director of: UCSB-MIT-Caltech Inst Collab Biotechnol; Interdisc Grad Prog Biomolec Sci & Eng; Marine Biotechnol Ctr.

NIH Career Devel Award; Am Cancer Soc Faculty Res Award. Developer of Silicon Biotechnol; Sci Amer Top 50 Innovators, '06; Elected Fellow, AAAS; Mater Res Soc; Smithsonian Instn. Advisor U.S, Nat Acad Sci, NIH, NSF, DOE, DOD. >50 keynote lects. in past 10 yrs, intl symp Bio-Nanotech., Materials, Biomaterials, Biophotonics, Organosilicon, Catalysis, & Energy.

Distinguished Visiting Prof Materialss, Univ Paris; Bio-Nano Electronics, Toyo Univ., Japan; universities in S’pore, UK & U.S.; 2020 Einstein Col. Medicine Top Scientific Alumnus.. New paper honored by editors J. Biol. Chem. & ASBMB. Students have won intl recognition in successful careers in bioeng, biomaters, molec genet and medicine, and serve as faculty at Harvard, MIT, USC, UCSD and nation’s top med schools.

Research

Research focused at the interface between molecular biology, genetic engineering, biophysics, materials science & photonics; discovering molec mechs controlling (1) protein assembly; intracellular colligative properties; biophotonics & (2) gene regulation; catalysis; biomineralization; bone. Practical innovations in bio-inspired nanophotonics and low-T catalytic nanofab of semiconductors with advants for medical & energy applications, IR detectors.

Discovered enzyme synthesizing silica skeletons of sponges (an enzyme making glass!); launched field of Silicon Biotechnology; developed bio-inspired, low-T synth of nanostructured inorganic semiconductors (esp. for batteries & solar) & high-throughput synth of nanocrystalline perovskites. Present research on Reflectin, its biophotonic mechs & bio-inspired nanophotonics aimed at discovering & harnessing molec mechs of this unique block-copolymeric protein as a calibResearch focused at the interface between molecular biology, genetic engineering, biophysics, materials science & photonics; discovering molec mechs controlling (1) protein assembly; intracellular colligative properties; biophotonics & (2) gene regulation; catalysis; biomineralization; bone. Practical innovations in bio-inspired nanophotonics and low-T catalytic nanofab of semiconductors with advants for medical & energy applications, IR detectors.

Discovered enzyme synthesizing silica skeletons of sponges (an enzyme making glass!); launched field of Silicon Biotechnology; developed bio-inspired, low-T synth of nanostructured inorganic semiconductors (esp. for batteries & solar) & high-throughput synth of nanocrystalline perovskites. Present research on Reflectin, its biophotonic mechs & bio-inspired nanophotonics aimed at discovering & harnessing molec mechs of this unique block-copolymeric protein as a calibrated, signal-responsive transducer of neuronal signals, driving an osmotic amplifier to finely tune color and intensity of light reflected from intracellular Bragg reflectors & broadband Mie scatterers.