ROCKVILLE, MD – The Biophysical Society is honored to celebrate Ibrahim Cissé, a biological physicist at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Germany on being selected as part of the MacArthur Fellowship class of 2021. Cissé is being recognized for his work developing microscopy tools to investigate the subcellular processes underlying genetic regulation and misfunction.

Cissé continues to push the limits of quantitative microscopy (a microscopic study that uses algorithmic analysis of digital images) in his efforts to further describe the physical mechanisms that condense and dissolve Pol II clusters and the chemical and biological processes underlying cells’ control of condensation. He is also advancing imaging methods to investigate the early stages of misfolded protein clustering, which may be critical to understanding neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. His work revealed that the initial formation of misfolded protein clusters is akin to phase transitions that lead to condensates. Through his cutting-edge innovations in single-molecule microscopy and in-depth understanding of biophysical and cellular processes, Cissé is illuminating the dynamics of gene regulation and enabling further investigation of biological condensates.

“We are thrilled to be working alongside talented and innovative researchers such as Ibrahim Cissé. His investigations deepen our understanding of how gene regulation and expression produce proteins in cells,” said BPS President Frances Separovic, University of Melbourne, Australia. “We can’t wait to see what he does in future.”

The MacArthur Fellowship is a five-year grant to individuals who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future. The fellowship is designed to provide recipients with the flexibility to pursue their creative activities in the absence of specific obligations or reporting requirements.