Education
Computing Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow, Stony Brook University, 2009-2011
Ph.D., Chemistry (Biochemistry emphasis), New Mexico State University, 2009
M.A., Jewish Studies, Emory University, 2003
B.A., Chemistry and Comparative Religion, Emory University, 1998
Research Interests
Dr. Pias' research group uses high-performance computing to investigate mechanisms of biomolecular function through simulations of structural dynamics (with AMBER software, primarily). Current projects are biomedically related, focusing on the significance of lipids as modulators of cellular-level oxygen diffusion and, therefore, of aerobic metabolism. Her group is specifically interested in clarifying the role of high membrane cholesterol in cancer pathology as well as explaining the well-known connection between insulin resistance and saturated fat accumulation in skeletal muscle.