Devarajan (Dave) Thirumalai is currently the Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas- Austin. Thirumalai received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and was a postdoc at Columbia University. In 1985, he joined the faculty at the University of Maryland where he was a distinguished university professor and founding director of the biophysics program. Thirumalai’s research is primarily theoretical at the interfaces of chemistry, physics, and biology. He has published more than 325 peer-reviewed publications, many of which appear in top-tier journals, and given more than 200 invited talks. He has been recognized for his accomplishments by receiving numerous awards, including more recently a Distinguished Faculty Research Fellowship Award and the Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists. He was also elected to the Royal Society of Chemistry and is a fellow of the Biophysical Society.
As a young boy growing up in Madras (now Chennai) India, Thirumalai knew he wanted to become a professor at a very young age - surrounded by a family of mathematicians, an interest in science came early for him - however, it wasn’t until college that Thirumalai developed an interest in physics and chemistry, eventually leading him to study biophysics. According to Thirumalai, “my interest in biophysics was triggered after I came across an article by Jon King outlining how proteins fold. This was in the mid-1980s. Since then I have devoted much of my research to studying various problems in biophysics.”
Today, Thirumalai considers himself a biophysicist, with the bulk of his theoretical research centering on understanding the functions of motors, folding of proteins, RNA, and the genome, with a major focus on figuring out how nature utilizes processes on length scales from a few nanometers to microns and a wide range of time scales to control cellular processes.
Through his scientific mentors, Donald Truhlar and Bruce Berne, Thirumalai says he “learnt that choosing an important problem is, perhaps, the most important aspect of scientific research.” These days, Thirumalai and his lab are interested in big picture questions like how the molecules of life work together to sustain life. “In my research group,” he says, “we use theoretical methods and computers to understand specific aspects of the way proteins, RNA, and DNA control the function of cells. It is important because life and death issues depend on our ability to manipulate them.”
Thirumalai also credits both the late Prof. Robert Zwanzig and Prof. Michael E. Fisher, and his colleagues at the University of Maryland, with having a huge influence on all aspects of his work. “They instilled in me the need to have high standards in conducting research,” he says, “it is by closely watching them that I grew as a scientist. I cannot thank these two enough for the inspiration they are to me. I consider myself very fortunate to have known them as colleagues, mentors, as well as friends.”
Thirumalai is helping to pay it forward, and finds the opportunity to train the next generation of scientists to be one of the most rewarding aspect of his work. To date, over 40 students and postdoctoral fellows have trained with him, and the majority of them have landed academic positions.
Thirumalai also believes that diversity is important in preparing the next generation. “Science,” he says, “like all creative activities, knows no boundaries. Science is the study of nature and we are all enriched if many participate.” Thirumalai believes that it is crucial to involve underrepresented groups in science, as members of these groups have much to contribute to our understanding in unraveling the secrets of nature. “There are other benefits as well,” he says, “they inspire future scientists in all walks of life, paying dividends that are totally unexpected. The cumulative benefits of a diverse group in science and other areas are impossible to quantify. What one knows for sure is that their involvement provides tangible and even more importantly intangible benefits in all walks of life.”