Robert Dirks works with Dr. Shaw on a variety of projects, including enhanced conformational sampling methods, protein structure prediction, and free energy calculations. Robert received a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech, and an A.B. in mathematics and chemistry from Wabash College, summa cum laude, with election to Phi Beta Kappa. Prior to joining DESRES, he was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech, where he developed algorithms to design, analyze, and engineer nucleic acid devices.