Olivier Walker

In the lab

I lead the BIOSYS group at the Institut des Sciences Analytiques (ISA). My research focuses on the structural and dynamical characterization of biological systems and in particular complex biomolecular assemblies, using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS). I develop methodological tools to address biological questions centered on intrinsically disordered and multidomain proteins, along two main lines of investigation: endocytosis and bacterial silver resistance.

To probe motions and conformational landscapes, I combine NMR with high-performance, GPU-accelerated computing, using molecular dynamics together with free-energy and replica-exchange (REMD) calculations. Our wet lab supports the production of isotope-labeled proteins and their biophysical characterization by circular dichroism (CD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). To carry out these NMR and modeling studies, the group operates NMR spectrometers at 400 and 600 MHz and several multi-GPU workstations.