Dek is a chemist and biochemist. His work is at the interface between the biological and physical sciences. He combines computational and experimental methods to unravel sequence-to-structure/function relationships in proteins, and then applies these to make completely new proteins from scratch through de novo protein design.
Dek has contributed significantly to a comprehensive understanding of the folding, assembly, and function of a ubiquitous class of protein structures called the alpha-helical coiled coils. He has used this understanding to design new-to-nature coiled-coil peptides and proteins for fundamental and applied research. Dek’s approach combines rational (rules-based) and computational (physics- and AI-based) methods to deliver fully programmed and understood protein designs. Applications include in cell and synthetic biology, where he ports protein designs into cells to examine and control natural biological functions.
Dek’s work has been recognised by: the Medimmune Protein and Peptide Science Award (2014) and the Interdisciplinary Prize (2016) of the Royal Society of Chemistry; a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2014); a Humboldt Research Award (2020); and the Vincent du Vigneaud Award from the American Peptide Society (2025).
Professional position
- Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
- Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol
Subject groups
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Chemistry
Chemistry, biological
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Molecules of Life
Biochemistry and molecular biology, Biophysics and structural biology
