Mert Vural’s research at INBT aims to unveil assembly kinetics of intracellular protein crystals based on natural or de novo protein assemblies. This fundamental study will pave the way toward programmable protein crystal growth in cells, which has numerous applications including but not limited to cellular recording, targeted delivery, self-assembly of biohybrids in cells.

Vural completed his PhD at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland as a member of the Future Faculty fellowship program in 2016. During his PhD, Vural worked on supramolecular assembly of nanomaterials in elastomers for applications in flexible electronics. After his PhD, Vural worked on supramolecular assembly of nanomaterials and engineered proteins as a postdoctoral fellow at Pennsylvania State University. As a hiatus in protein science, Vural spent two years at Laboratory of Organic Electronics studying cellulose based supramolecular composites sponsored by Wallenberg Wood Science Center Fellowship program.