Robert Dirks
Robert Dirks | |
---|---|
Thai American | |
Education | Wabash College, A.B., 2000 Caltech, Ph.D., 2005 |
Spouse | Christine Ueda |
Children | 2 |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Computational chemistry, DNA nanotechnology |
Institutions | Caltech, D. E. Shaw Research |
Thesis | Analysis, design, and construction of nucleic acid devices (2005) |
Academic advisors | Niles Pierce |
Robert Dirks (May 29, 1978 – February 3, 2015) was an American chemist known for his theoretical and experimental work in
In February 2015, Dirks died in the Valhalla train crash, the deadliest accident in the history of Metro-North Railroad. An award for early-career achievement in molecular programming research was established in his honor.
Early life
Dirks was born in
Robert attended Lewis and Clark High School, where he excelled academically, entering and winning many math competitions. He was selected to do cardiovascular research at the University of Washington over the summer before his senior year. During that year, he received the top score of 5 on every Advanced Placement exam he took, and was chosen as class valedictorian in 1996.[6] Shortly after graduation Robert and three of his classmates were one of three high school winners of the ExploraVision national scientific contest, earning them and their families a trip to Washington, D.C. The topic of their project was the future of nanotechnology.[7][8]
Although he had been accepted to the
He then began graduate studies in chemistry at the
Research
Dirks' work in
His experimental work pioneered the hybridization chain reaction method, the first demonstration of the self-assembly of nucleic acid structures conditional on a molecular input.[11] The method arose from attempts to use DNA hairpins as "fuel" for DNA machines, but Dirks and Pierce realized that they could instead be used for signal amplification, and when used in conjunction with an aptamer, as a biosensor.[16] As an enzyme-free, isothermal method, it later found application as the basis of an immunoassay method,[17] for in situ hybridization imaging of gene expression,[18] and as the basis for catalytic, isothermal self-assembly of DNA nanostructures.[19]
Dirks then worked at D. E. Shaw Research in Manhattan to develop methods for computational protein structure prediction[20] for the design of new drugs, beginning in 2006.[1]
Later life and death
Dirks and Ueda married in 2007. She initially also worked at D. E. Shaw Research, but stopped in 2010 to raise the first of two children. The couple settled in the
On February 3, 2015, Dirks died in the
Reactions to his death came from many quarters, many paying tribute to his scientific prowess. His father recalled that "he always got everything the first time. He always excelled." Greg Sampson, Dirks' math teacher at Lewis and Clark, remembered when his student had finished an advanced class in trigonometry in just two weeks, something no other student of his has ever done, saying "he was just an amazing, amazing student." Niles Pierce recalled how Dirks was willing to take a chance on working with a younger professor. His former postdoc was, he said, "an unusual student, even for Caltech... He did remarkable things."[6] D. E. Shaw Research, his employer, called him "a brilliant scientist who made tremendous contributions to our own research, and to the broader scientific community."[1]
In April 2015, the
Notable works
- Dirks, R. M.; Pierce, N. A. (2003). "A partition function algorithm for nucleic acid secondary structure including pseudoknots" (PDF). Journal of Computational Chemistry. 24 (13): 1664–1677. S2CID 323817.
- Dirks, R. M.; Pierce, N. A. (2004). "Triggered amplification by hybridization chain reaction". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 101 (43): 15275–15278. PMID 15492210.
- Dirks, R. M.; Bois, J. S.; Schaeffer, J. M.; Winfree, E.; Pierce, N. A. (2007). "Thermodynamic Analysis of Interacting Nucleic Acid Strands". SIAM Review. 49 (1): 65–88. .
- Piana, S.; Lindorff-Larsen, K.; Dirks, R. M.; Salmon, J. K.; Dror, R. O.; Shaw, D. E. (2012). "Evaluating the Effects of Cutoffs and Treatment of Long-range Electrostatics in Protein Folding Simulations". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): e39918. PMID 22768169.
See also
- List of computational chemists
- List of people from Spokane, Washington
- List of Wabash College people
- List of California Institute of Technology people
References
- ^ a b c d e f Miller, Stephen (February 5, 2015). "Robert Dirks, Scientist at D.E. Shaw Research, Dies at 36". Bloomberg News. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Dirks, Mike (2008-11-29). "Geithner's interest in math started as teen". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ a b c Armaghan, Sarah (February 5, 2015). "Robert Michael Dirks, one of five passengers killed in Metro-North crash, was accomplished scientist and devoted father". Newsday. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ "A life begun in Bangkok ends in fiery New York train wreck". Bangkok Post. February 6, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Culver, Nina (February 5, 2015). "Robert Dirks, the LC grad who died in train crash, was a family man with 'unusual talent'". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ^ Fernandez, Maisy (1996-06-16). "Francoise Kuester Chosen Gu's Teacher Of The Year". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
- ^ Johnson, Carla K. (1996-03-23). "Teens Are Cranked On Atomic Energy Lewis And Clark Students Honored For Vision Of How Nanotechnology Can Shape Future". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ "Robert Dirks". D. E. Shaw Research. Archived from the original on 2015-06-30. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- . Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ a b "The Pierce Lab". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ "NUPACK: Nucleic Acid Package". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ PMID 20193785.
- PMID 22067111.
- PMID 19369331.
- S2CID 619697.
- S2CID 26110015.
- PMID 24712299.
- S2CID 4354536.
- ^ Yee, Vivian (5 February 2015). "The Lives of 3 Crash Victims Who Shared a Metro-North Routine". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ Santora, Marc; Flegenheimer, Matt (February 4, 2015). "Investigation Underway in Metro-North Train Crash". New York Times. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ "Robert Dirks '00 memorial prize announced". Wabash College. 1 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ "The Dirks Prize Fund". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2016-06-13.