Kevin Larsen

KLarsen@nysbc.org

“After taking a brief hiatus to study membrane interacting proteins, I’m thrilled to join the Kieft lab and return to the world of RNA structural biology! I’ve always been fascinated with how RNA viruses utilize structured regions within their functionally dense genomes to regulate aspects of viral replication. I hope to employ cryo-EM and other complementary methods to structurally characterize viral RNAs and their interactions with host and viral proteins.”

Kevin obtained his Ph.D. in Biophysics at Stanford University working in the labs of Jody and Elisabetta Puglisi. While there, he used cryo-EM to investigate how tRNA and HIV-1 genomic RNA regulate HIV-1 reverse transcription initiation. He then moved to UC Berkeley for a postdoc in Jim Hurley’s lab where he used cryo-EM to structurally characterize membrane remodeling by ESCRT proteins.

Outside the lab, Kevin enjoys hiking, eating/drinking, video games, museums, and volleyball. Despite growing up in a semi-rural area in Wisconsin, he loves life in NYC and is excited to continue exploring the city.

Kevin on a hike

Kevin with his family dog, Lexi

Kevin on another hike