Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Steven T Whitten

  • Associate Professor - Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Associate Professor - South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program

Biography and education

Ph.D. in biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 2000.
B.S. in physics, University of Nebraska, Omaha, 1994.
  • Lewis, Karen A, Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Hough, Loren (Co-Principal), Hodby, Eleanor (Co-Principal), Theodoropoulou, Nikoleta (Supporting), Close, Eleanor W (Supporting), Rangelov, Blagoy (Supporting), Islam, Tanzima Z (Supporting), Betancourt, Tania (Supporting), Berry, Joe (Supporting), Finklestein, Noah (Supporting), MacGregor, Meredith (Supporting), Brown, Jed (Supporting), Eaves, Joel (Supporting). Creating Equitable Pathways to STEM Graduate Education, Sloan Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $249299. (Submitted: September 2, 2022, Funded: January 2023 - Present). Grant.
  • Lewis, Karen A (Principal), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Co-Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Kornienko, Alexander Vladimir (Supporting), Peterson, Ryan Loren (Supporting), Xue, Xiaoyu (Supporting). MRI: Acquisition of Automated Isothermal Titration Calorimeter for Biophysical Research at Texas State University, National Science Foundation, Federal, $262280. (Submitted: January 19, 2022, Funded: September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2025). Grant.
  • Lewis, Karen A (Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Betancourt, Tania (Co-Principal), Stachowiak, Jeanne (Co-Principal), Deb, Seemanta. Hydrogel formation by the N-terminal domains of the Eyes Absent Proteins 1 and 2, PREM CIMA and National Science Foundation, Federal. (Submitted: November 2024, Funded: January 2025 - Present). Grant.
  • Whitten, Steven T (Principal), Percent Contribution: %4, Lewis, Karen A (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %4, Libich, David S (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %4, Oyajobi, Babatunde Olukayode (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %4. Texas Doctoral Bridge Program, NIH, Federal, $2836154. (Submitted: September 26, 2023, Funded: August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2029). Grant.
  • Whitten, Steven T (Principal), Lewis, Karen A (Co-Principal), Spooner, Melinda Henrietta (Co-Principal). Health Research Accelerator Award, Translational Health Research Center, Texas State University, $15000. (Submitted: March 3, 2023, Funded: May 15, 2023 - March 1, 2024). Grant.
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  • Wilson, C., Lewis, K. A., Fitzkee, N. C., Hough, L. E., & Whitten, S. T. (2023). ParSe 2.0: A web tool to identify drivers of protein phase separation at the proteome level. Protein Science, 32(9). https://doi.org/doi: 10.1002/pro.4756
  • Yarawsky, A. E., Ori, A. L., English, L. R., Whitten, S. T., & Herr, A. B. (2023). Convergent behavior of extended stalk regions from staphylococcal surface proteins with widely divergent sequence patterns. Protein Science, 32(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/pro.4707
  • Ibrahim, A. Y., Khaodeuanepheng, N. P., Amarasekara, D. L., Correia, J. J., Lewis, K. A., Fitzkee, N. C., … Whitten, S. T. (2023). Intrinsically disordered regions that drive phase separation form a robustly distinct protein class. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 299(1), 102801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102801
  • Paiz, E. A., Correia, J. J., Fitzkee, N. C., Hough, L. E., & Whitten, S. T. (2021). Beta turn propensity and a model polymer scaling exponent identify intrinsically disordered phase-separating proteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 297(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101343
  • Paiz, E. A., Lewis, K. A., & Whitten, S. T. (2021). Structural and energetic characterization of the denatured state from the perspectives of peptides, the coil library, and intrinsically disordered proteins. Molecules, 26(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030634
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  • Award / Honor Recipient: Texas State Tansfer Champion Honorable Mention, Texas State University. October 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Presidential Distinction Award for Excellence in Teaching, Texas State University, College of Science and Engineering. 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Secretary-Treasurer, Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDP) Subgroup of the Biophysical Society. March 2019 - March 2020
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Secretary-Treasurer Elect, Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDP) Subgroup of the Biophysical Society. March 2018 - March 2019
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Department Nominee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas State University. 2018
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  1. Editorial Review Board Member

    Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Molecular Biophysics

  2. Editorial Review Board Member

    Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Molecular Recognition

  3. Other

    Biochemistry MS Degree Program

  4. Chair

    Graduate Biochemistry Curriculum Committee

  5. Member

    Personnel Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

  6. Other

    Biochemistry BS Degree Outcomes and Assessment

  7. View all activities