Keynote Address
Dr. Carol K. Hall, Ph.D.
Camille Dreyfus Distinguished University Professor
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
North Carolina State University
Education
Ph.D., Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook
B.A., Physics, Cornell University
A Computational Study of the Thermodynamic and
Kinetic Origins of Alzheimer's and Related Diseases
The pathological hallmark of more than twenty neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's
and the prion diseases, is the presence within the brain of plaques containing ordered protein aggregates
called fibrils. It is not yet known why these structures form in some individuals and not in others, or
whether the plaques are toxic or Nature's way of sequestering toxic species. Dr. Hall will describe current
thinking on the scientific underpinnings for this phenomenon, and her computational efforts to contribute
to our knowledge of how and why proteins assemble into fibrils.
Short Biography: Professor Carol K. Hall is the Camille Dreyfus Distinguished University Professor of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. She joined the Chemical
Engineering Department at Princeton University in 1977 as one of the first women to be appointed to a
chemical engineering faculty in the U.S. In 1985, she joined the Chemical Engineering Department at
North Carolina State University. Hall’s research focuses on applying statistical thermodynamics and
molecular-level computer simulation to topics of chemical, biological or engineering interest involving
macromolecules or complex fluids. Current research topics include protein folding/aggregation,
multipolar colloids, amino-acid-based polymers, dispersants for oil spills, liposomal drug delivery
devices, nanoparticle toxicology, DNA-hybridization and nucleic-acid-based nanostructures. She is the
author of over 220 publications, is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the
American Physical Society and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005.
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