Tobias Baumgart
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE)
Email | Personal Webpage | Research Webpage
Honors and Awards: Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship - 2008, Procter & Gamble Award for Diploma in Chemistry - 1998
Research Expertise: Surface and Colloid Science | Materials | Biomolecular Engineering
Research in Tobias' group is largely centered on the physical chemistry and function of biological membranes. Their aims include characterization of membranes containing lipids and proteins, and they investigate both composition and shape (curvature) heterogeneity. Their research on aspects of membrane shape is directed at understanding how molecules sort in membrane curvature gradients, which likely contributes substantially to intracellular membrane sorting and trafficking. Tobias and his group also use methods to pattern antibodies and adhesion molecules to stimulate cells in a spatially controlled manner.
Education:
PhD Physical Chemistry 2001 - Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
Recent Publications 
- Kinetics of endophilin N-BAR domain dimerization and membrane interactions, Capraro, B.R. | Shi, Z. | Wu, T. | Chen, Z. | Dunn, J.M. | Rhoades, E. | Baumgart, T., Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2013
- Divide and adhere, Baumgart, T., Biophysical Journal, 2013
- Lipid Sorting by Ceramide Structure from Plasma Membrane to ER for the Cholera Toxin Receptor Ganglioside GM1, Chinnapen, D.J.-F. | Hsieh, W.-T. | te Welscher, Y.M. | Saslowsky, D.E. | Kaoutzani, L. | Brandsma, E. | D'Auria, L. | Park, H. | Wagner, J.S. | Drake, K.R. | Kang, M. | Benjamin, T. | Ullman, M.D. | Costello, C.E. | Kenworthy, A.K. | Baumgart, T. | Massol, R.H. | Lencer, W.I., Developmental Cell, 2012
- Curvature sorting of peripheral proteins on solid-supported wavy membranes, Hsieh, W.-T. | Hsu, C.-J. | Capraro, B.R. | Wu, T. | Chen, C.-M. | Yang, S. | Baumgart, T., Langmuir, 2012
- Elucidating membrane structure and protein behavior using giant plasma membrane vesicles, Sezgin, E. | Kaiser, H.-J. | Baumgart, T. | Schwille, P. | Simons, K. | Levental, I., Nature Protocols, 2012