Justin Westerfield

About me

Cell membranes are not just passive boundaries. They are the sole conduit for information exchange with the external environment, and are thus highly active zones. It is therefore critical that membrane proteins are properly folded and inserted.

As a postdoc in the von Heijne group, I study co-translational protein folding with force-profile analysis, a gel-based assay developed in our lab, as well as Cryo-EM and other gel-based assays.

My main project involves the folding of the voltage-gated potassium channel, KvAP. Voltage-sensor domains, a feature of all voltage-gated channels, present a challenge to membranes, since they inevitably contain several charged residues. Understanding how unusually hydrophilic transmembrane domains come to be embedded in the membrane is critical to a complete understanding of protein folding.

Outside of the lab, I help to improve the culture of science through outreach. I currently work with the National Junior Faculty, an organization built to empower early-career researchers, to help give a voice to the researchers who make up the backbone of the academic system.