header-logo
protein structures and brain images
Biophysics
Vanessa Leone, PhD

Vanessa A. Leone, PhD

Assistant Professor

Locations

  • Biophysics
  • MFRC 3040F

Contact Information

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 2015-2019
Postdoctoral Fellow, NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, 2013-2015
Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2009-2013
PhD, Functional and Structural Genomics, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS), Trieste, Italy, 2009
BS, Biochemistry, University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay, 2005

Biography

I received my BS in Biochemistry from the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay, and my PhD in Functional and Structural Genomics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS) in Trieste, Italy. I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany. I continued my postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health, first at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and then at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) in Bethesda, MD. Subsequently, I earned a Staff Scientist position at NINDS. I joined the MCW Department of Biophysics faculty in 2024.

Research Interests

My research interests focus on protein structure, protein/protein interactions and their dynamics, and the effects of mutations, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial-related processes. I use a broad set of computational structural biology methods, including protein structure prediction (physics or AI-based methods), molecular dynamics, and free-energy calculations, tailored to address specific questions and involving methodological development as needed.

Lab Members
Carlos Herrada, Graduate Student
Kesaban Roy Choudhuri, Postdoctoral Researcher

© 2025 Medical College of Wisconsin.  All rights reserved.  | Terms and Privacy | Web Accessibility Statement

Non-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment, and Legal Compliance Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is committed to fostering a diverse community of outstanding faculty, staff, and students, as well as ensuring equal educational opportunity, employment, and access to services, programs, and activities, without regard to an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristic, military status, or other legally protected classification. MCW maintains full compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in pursuit of our missions. Consistent with federal guidance, we affirm our commitment to individual merit, fairness, and equal treatment in all aspects of academic and institutional decision-making.

MCW's policies, federal and state laws, and regulations prohibit unlawful discrimination and harassment. Employees, learners, students, applicants, or other members of the MCW community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) may not be subjected to harassment that is prohibited by law or treated adversely or retaliated against based upon a protected characteristic.