Viviana Monje is active in the areas of computational biophysics and molecular biology. Her expertise is on realistic membrane modeling and the study of biological processes at the cellular membrane interface. She is specially interested on the role of lipids as active modulators of cellular processes.

Prior to joining UB CBE, she completed her postdoctoral training in the Voth Group at the University of Chicago, contributing important insights about the protein-lipid interplay during early stages of HIV-1 viral assembly and key biomolecular interactions within the lipid envelope of the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle. She completed her PhD degree under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffery Klauda at the University of Maryland-College Park, where she developed organelle-specific membrane models to study eukaryotic cells and showcase the chemical structure and ratio of lipids of in silico models reproduce different membrane properties that influence the interaction with other biomolecules.

Dr. Monje’s work is well cited and at the forefront of computational biophysics. She has been actively involved in programs that promote the participation of women in engineering and early introduction of undergraduate students to research in STEM fields. She serves as officer and committee member in the Biophysical Society (BPS), the Society for Latinamerican Biophysicists (SoBLA), and the American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Her research group has active collaborations with national and international research groups, and is currently funded by awards through NSF and the Human Frontier and Science Program (HFSP).

• PhD, Chemical Engineering, University of Maryland-College Park, 2017
• BS, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland-College Park, 2012

American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Biophysical Society (BPS), American Chemical Society (ACS), and Society of Latin-American Biophysicist (SOBLA)