Emil Alexov, a professor in Clemson University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE)—an honor reserved for the top 2% of professionals in the field. He was recognized for his exceptional contributions to computational biophysics, software development related to disease mechanisms, and for establishing Clemson’s medical biophysics graduate program.
Alexov’s research combines physics and advanced computer algorithms to explore how genetic variations cause disease, contributing significantly to personalized medicine. He has developed novel algorithms to predict energy changes from mutations and their links to disease.
Originally from Bulgaria, Alexov earned degrees in plasma and radiophysics from Sofia University, followed by international research roles in Japan and the U.S. He joined Clemson in 2005 and was named a CUSHR Faculty Fellow in 2019. In 2021, he received the Dr. Wallace R. Roy Distinguished Professorship. He is now the fifth Clemson faculty member to be named an AIMBE Fellow.
Laura Finzi, a molecular biophysicist who pioneered techniques to study how single molecules act in complex biological processes, has been appointed the inaugural Dr. Waenard L. Miller, Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics at Clemson University. Finzi joined Clemson on July 1 and holds joint appointments in the Departments of Physics and Astronomy and Bioengineering. She aims to advance medical biophysics research and education by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. Finzi brings extensive experience in interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and student mentorship, previously serving as a professor at Emory University and contributing to graduate programs in chemistry, biomedical engineering, and cancer biology. Her research on DNA transcription mechanics aims to advance understanding of gene regulation and precision medicine, tailoring treatments to individual genetic and environmental factors. Finzi is committed to building programs and fostering collaboration to drive innovation in medical biophysics.
The endowed chair position, one of the highest honors at Clemson University, was established with a $2 million donation from cardiologist Waenard L. Miller ’69 and his wife, Sheila M. Miller, to support medical biophysics research and education. Dr. Miller, a Clemson physics alumnus and co-founder of the Legacy Heart Center in Texas, has an extensive background in medicine, including degrees in nuclear physics, biology, and medical management. Reflecting on his 34-year career, Miller emphasized the transformative impact of scientific and medical advancements and expressed pride in supporting Clemson’s growth in this evolving field, welcoming Dr. Laura Finzi to lead impactful research and innovation.
Laura Finzi describes her journey into medical biophysics as a “progressive evolution.” Initially studying industrial chemistry at the University of Bologna, she was inspired to pursue biophysics after meeting National Academy of Sciences member Carlos Bustamante, who recruited her for graduate studies at the University of New Mexico. After earning her Ph.D. in chemistry, Finzi continued her training as a postdoctoral fellow under Bustamante, eventually joining his lab at the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon, where she thrived in an interdisciplinary environment that brought together biologists, chemists, and physicists. Laura Finzi played a key role in developing the first generation of magnetic tweezers, a tool used to study the mechanical properties of molecules like DNA and proteins in single-molecule experiments. Unlike traditional methods that assume identical behavior among molecules, single-molecule techniques reveal heterogeneities that can underpin diseases. As an American Physical Society fellow, Finzi investigates transcriptional regulation mechanisms using advanced techniques like magnetic tweezers, optical tweezers, and atomic force microscopy, as well as studying DNA supercoiling, a critical regulator of genomic function. Her work highlights the integration of biophysics with emerging technologies, such as machine learning, to explore new avenues in medical research.
“Ramakrishna Podila, a materials physicist in the Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a professional society based in the United Kingdom with over 50,000 members worldwide. The designation of Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is given to those who have made significant contributions to the chemical sciences (including materials chemistry and physics). Fellows are nominated by other members.
Podila’s research is highly interdisciplinary and combines physics, chemistry, biology and materials science.”
Ramakrishna Podila
“His previous work focused on three broad areas: energy conversion and storage, nano-bio interfaces, and photonics and bioimaging. In addition to these areas, Podila’s group is currently pursuing new research directions in foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum biology.
His research has received support from the highest government agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, NASA and the U.S. Army, and many global companies.
Podila has authored more than 100 publications in scholarly journals, including multiple articles in Royal Society of Chemistry journals, that have been extensively cited. Web of Science, an online index that covers journal articles published in various sciences and the arts and humanities, listed one of his papers in materials chemistry in the top 1% of cited articles in the field. He also holds two U.S. patents.”
Pablo Pencil del Campo is studying the quasi-periodic oscillations of blazers. His research may potentially uncover evidence of the existence of of a binary supermassive black hole. Photo credit: NASA
Three Clemson University astrophysicists, Pablo Penil del Campo and Nuria Torres-Alba, postdoctoral fellows, and Stefano Marchesi, an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, have been awarded more than $1 million combined in highly competitive grants through the NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program to study active galactic nuclei, their obscuring material, and variability and periodicity. Penil will study four blazars that show periodic gamma-ray emissions, using a decade of NASA data to investigate whether these patterns indicate a binary system of supermassive black holes, which could provide new insights into galaxy evolution. Marchesi and Torres-Alba are using NASA’s X-ray telescope data to study dense, cosmic gas environments around supermassive black holes in nearby galaxies, where energetic X-ray photons penetrate gas, allowing researchers to characterize black hole properties and surrounding structures. Marchesi and Torres-Alba are also studying how efficiently supermassive black holes grow by consuming surrounding gas and how this process impacts their nearby and distant environments, providing insights into extreme cosmic phenomena. Marchesi and Torres-Alba are using machine-learning methods developed by Ross Silver and Xiuri Zhao, former graduate students at Clemson, to analyze a vast dataset of X-ray observations, aiming to create the largest sample of obscuration-variable supermassive black holes and gain new insights into black hole structures.
Stephen Kaeppler, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy, will receive a five-year National Foundation CAREER Grant of $721,601 to continue his research into observational and modeling investigations of pulsating aurora electrodynamics.
What are Auroras? They are unimaginable light shows that shower the north and south poles. They occur due to the interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms in the upper atmosphere. They are known as the “aurora borealis/australis” or the Northern/Southern lights. Kaeppler’s research is focused on pulsating auroras. He will be able to continue his work and fund more educational opportunities for Clemson undergraduates.
Prof. Emil Alexov has been awarded the Dr. Wallace R. Roy Professorship. This Professorship recognizes a high degree of collaboration with Prisma Health, success in health research funding and scholarship, evidence of leadership for multidisciplinary health research teams and mentoring of graduate students. Dr. Alexov is entering his 17th year as a member of the faculty of Physics & Astronomy. During this time, he has developed into one of the leaders of our department in all capacities. He was instrumental in leading the efforts to build our current biophysics program that now includes three other outstanding faculty. He is now leading our search for the Dr. Waenard L. Miller, Jr. ’69 and Sheila M. Miller Endowed Chair in Medical Biophysics. Additionally, he has taken the lead on forming our new M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Medical biophysics. To accomplish this task, he has brought together 35 faculty across 10 departments at Clemson as well a three doctors from Prisma Health. This program will provide outstanding opportunities for students who will be prepared to apply fundamental physical principles to clinically relevant biophysical problems.
He has served as a CUSHR fellow and developed productive collaborations with clinicians at Prisma Health thus demonstrating to translating the insights that have emerged from his fundamental scientific work to application in a clinical environment. His research has garnered $4.3M in support and resulted in over 170 peer-reviewed publications. He maintains a software package, DelPhi, for analysis of macro-biomolecules that has been downloaded over 7000 times from users in 137 different countries. His research is integrated with education as well. To date, Dr. Alexov has graduated 9 Ph.D. students, 3 M.S. students, and 9 undergraduate students. He has also mentored 9 postdocs. His current group is comprised fo 3 postdoctoral researchers, 2 PhD students, 1 MS student, and 1 undergraduate student.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Alexov for his excellence in transformative research and mentorship.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Amy Pope for being awarded the Jerry G. Gaff Faculty Award for Outstanding Teacher. This recognition is awarded annually by the Association for General and Liberal Studies to recognize a significant record of outstanding teaching and/or course development in general education programs, core curricula, or liberal studies. Founded in 1960, the Association for General and Liberal Studies is a community of practitioner-scholars that provides strategic, effective and innovative support for peers engaged in the day-to-day work of general and liberal learning in 21st century higher education. Dr. Pope is a beloved instructor who continues to find innovative ways to engage her students – especially those who enter their first physics course with more than a little trepidation. She tirelessly works to find new ways to communicate the relevance of physics to students from all backgrounds. Indeed, her most recent work at finding a way to reach students with Physics has been the development of a new course, “The Physics of Sports”. This award is well deserved recognition for her contributions to the mission of the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
Marco Ajello has been awarded the Rising Star in Discovery by the College of Science. This award recognizes excellence in forefront research performed at Clemson University. Marco is interested in understanding the evolution of supermassive black holes and all kinds of high energy phenomena in the universe. Please join me in congratulating the success of our colleague.
The purpose of the President’s Leadership Institute is to hone and develop the skills necessary for leadership success with higher education. The institute expands the participant’s knowledge of higher education as an industry and provides a broad understanding of the skills needed for executive leadership. Participants also gain a broader perspective on the impact Clemson has at the state, regional, national, and international level. Please join me in congratulating Hugo for being selected for the President’s Leadership Institute.
Emil Alexov has been awarded a CUSHR Faculty Fellowship for the Summer and Fall 2019. The goal of these fellowships is to develop research relationships between Clemson University and Prisma Health. Emil’s focus will be translating laboratory science to clinical medicine with the intent of developing a series of molecular assays related to common drugs used in the practice of clinical medicine. Let’s all congratulate Emil on this well deserved fellowship!
