Arvind Pillai

I'm thrilled to join the Stowers Institute to explore how molecular complexity arises during evolution and how it can be designed! If you are a young scientist interested in questions related to protein design and evolution, feel free to e-mail me to learn more about opportunities!

Investigator Announcement: @arvindspillai.bsky.social, PhD, joins the Stowers Institute as our newest Assistant Investigator! His lab will explore how new protein structures emerge during evolution—and how to design novel proteins for future therapies. #SciSky

Read more: bit.ly/3SCZQiM

We’re proud to welcome two bold scientific minds to the Institute! Arvind Pillai, PhD, joins as Assistant Investigator exploring protein #evolution and design. Friederike Benning, PhD, joins as Stowers Fellow studying membrane complexity in #bacteria.

Read more: bit.ly/3SCZQiM

If you're interested in a broad overview of how we think about protein complexity and its origination during deep evolutionary time, read our (relatively) exhaustive review here! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Origin of complexity in haemoglobin evolution - Nature Experimental analysis of reconstructed ancestral globins reveals that haemoglobin’s complex tetrameric structure and oxygen-binding functions evolved by simple genetic and biophysical mechanisms.

I've also worked on how complicated protein features like multimeric assembly and allostery arise during natural evolution, which will be a major focus of my future work!

Trump Administration Live Updates: White House Orders Federal Grants Pause (Gift Article)

The sword has now been brandished over civil society, including scientists, universities, and other NGOs. Who, including university presidents, will have any backbone in defending their jnstitutions’ missions? Or will they take on the Zuckerberg/ Bezos pose? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...