Robert W. Vaughan Lecture in Chemical Engineering

Title: Cellular Electrochemistry Powered by Phase Transitions

Abstract: Phase transitions of biomacromolecules, such as intrinsically disordered proteins, have emerged as a ubiquitous physical process organizing cellular biochemistry. These transitions give rise to biomolecular condensates, whose functions have traditionally been understood through a biomolecule-centered framework, in which condensates selectively enrich and exclude specific proteins and nucleic acids. Accordingly, condensate functions are generally considered to be determined by the activities of their constituent biomolecules. However, fundamentally, phase transition extends beyond biomolecules; it is a transition of the entire solvent matrix. During condensate formation, solvent environments (e.g., ions and water molecules) are reorganized, establishing a new electrochemical equilibrium that encodes distinct microenvironments in the dilute phase, dense phase and condensate interface. In this talk, I will first discuss the thermodynamic basis and the physical origins of the electrochemical properties of biomolecular condensates in two-phase aqueous systems. I will illustrate the mechanisms by which these inherent electrochemical properties can power cellular electrochemistry, drive non-enzymatic chemistry and modulate non-equilibrium behaviors with direct functional consequences in neurodegenerative disorders and cancers. Finally, moving beyond the static view of condensate electrochemical properties, I will discuss our recent advances in charge-transfer mechanisms at soft matter surfaces. These new mechanisms provide a dynamic and kinetic framework for understanding how organelles operate within constantly changing cellular electrochemical environments. In summary, this framework moves beyond a biomolecule-centered view of cellular function, establishing the electrochemical property of condensed materials and soft surfaces, which are ubiquitous throughout the cell, as a fundamental determinant of how cells manage energy, power electrochemical signaling and expand their biochemical landscapes.

Bio: Dr. Yifan Dai is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Chemistry and the Center for Biomolecular Condensates at Washington University in St. Louis. Yifan received his B.S. (2017) and Ph.D. (2020) in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, working with Prof. Chung Chiun Liu and Prof. Arnold Caplan on interfacing electrochemistry with synthetic biology. During his undergraduate and doctoral research, he focused on developing sensors and biosensors that have been applied in industrial and medical settings. In 2020, he joined Duke University as a postdoctoral scholar, advised by Prof. Ashutosh Chilkoti and Prof. Lingchong You, where he worked on designing synthetic protein materials for cellular controls. In 2023, he joined Washington University in St. Louis as an Assistant Professor. His research group works at the interface of physical chemistry and biology, focusing on establishing the mechanisms of intracellular electrochemistry and developing strategies for manipulating cellular interfaces. He was recently recognized by the Forbes 30 under 30 2025 and Maximizing Investigators' Research Award from NIGMS (NIH).