John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Bioengineering; Executive Officer for Biology and Biological Engineering
Pierce is a co-founder of the fields of dynamic nucleic acid nanotechnology and molecular programming. The Pierce Lab at Caltech has developed principles, mechanisms, and algorithms that enable the rational design and construction of dynamic molecular devices in vitro, in situ, and in vivo. Research interests include: 1) developing dynamic nucleic acid nanotechnologies for multiplexed quantitative imaging of the molecules of life (DNA, RNA, proteins) and for rapid at-home testing for pathogens; 2) engineering small conditional RNAs (scRNAs) for cell-selective spatiotemporal control of regulation in living organisms; 3) developing physically sound, mathematically rigorous, computationally efficient algorithms for the analysis and design of nucleic acid structures, devices, and systems.
