Saikat Pahan

Saikat was born in West Bengal, India, and completed his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Chemistry at Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, affiliated with Calcutta University. He then pursued an integrated MS-PhD program at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, where he completed his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Hosahudya N. Gopi. During his PhD, Saikat gained expertise in solid and solution-phase peptide synthesis, the creation of biologically active small molecules, and various purification techniques (including HPLC, LC-MS, and gel electrophoresis). His research included designing peptide-based foldamers from non-natural amino acids and investigating their biological significance. Notably, he developed a new class of peptide-based double helical foldamers, explored their potential as ion channels, and created self-assembled π-stacking peptide-based porous frameworks and light-harvesting materials.

Following his PhD, Saikat joined Prof. Robert W. Newberry’s lab at the University of Texas at Austin as a postdoctoral fellow. His research focuses on the design, synthesis, and biophysical studies of peptides composed of non-natural amino acids. His long-term goal is to elucidate the chemistry underlying protein misfolding, an area that remains poorly understood.