Krishna Kumar
Professor and Chair, Chemistry, Associate Member, Cancer Center, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Adjunct Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

BACKGROUND: Born in Madras, India; Ph.D., organic chemistry, Brown University; Skaggs Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute; at Tufts since 1998.

RESEARCH: De novo design and construction of proteins, especially those with nonstick properties; also probing the evolution of proteins by using bioinformatics to deconstruct enzymes to the smallest pieces that still have catalytic properties.

ABOUT HIS WORK: "We use two complementary approaches. One is to take inspiration from biology, to push the frontiers of understanding of how biology works and use that understanding to do chemistry. The second is to use chemistry to endow extra-biological properties to molecules and organisms."

WHY TUFTS: "We have a dual mission of education and research, and I find that Tufts does both quite well. They are synergistic-you can't do cutting-edge research without engaging in and benefiting from teaching, and students must be involved in pushing the research envelope to receive a top education and train other students."

AFTER-HOURS: "I play squash, ski, and sail."