Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Steven T Whitten

  • Associate Professor - Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Associate Professor - South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program
Portrait of Dr. Steven T Whitten

Biography and expertise

Ph.D. in biophysics, Johns Hopkins University, 2000.
B.S. in physics, University of Nebraska, Omaha, 1994.

Education

Doctorate Degree

PhD in Biophysics

Johns Hopkins University, 2000

Bachelor's Degree

BS in Physics

Univ of Nebraska at Omaha, 1994

Patents

  • “Ensemble-based analysis of the pH-dependent stability of proteins.” Steven Whitten, Vincent Hilser. Regular, #U.S. Patent 7,027,969.
    Date awarded: 04/11/2006
  • Kerwin, Sean M (Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Betancourt, Tania (Co-Principal), Lewis, Karen A (Co-Principal). Circular Dichroism Spectrometer, National Institutes of Health, Federal, $209852. (Submitted: May 31, 2024, Funded: August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2026). Grant.
  • Whitten, Steven T (Principal), Lewis, Karen A (Co-Principal), Libich, David S (Co-Principal), Oyajobi, Babatunde Olukayode (Co-Principal). Texas Doctoral Bridge Program, NIH, Federal, $2761618. (Submitted: September 26, 2023, Funded: August 1, 2024 - July 31, 2029). Grant.
  • Oyajobi, Babatunde (Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Principal). South Texas Doctoral Bridge Program, National Institutes of Health, Federal, $1506205. (Funded: August 2018 - May 2025). Grant.
  • Lewis, Karen A (Co-Principal), Whitten, Steven T (Co-Principal), Kerwin, Sean Michael (Principal). Circular Dichroism Spectrometer, National Institutes of Health, Federal, $209852. (Funded: August 2025 - July 2026). 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, $8000. (Submitted: November 2024, Funded: January 2025 - December 2025). Grant.
View all grants
  • Kipp, O. L., Lewis, K. A., Hough, L. E., & Whitten, S. T. (2025). Missense mutations in intrinsically disordered protein regions link pathogenicity and phase separation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 301(11), 110773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110773
  • 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:%2010.1002/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
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: THRC Faculty Fellows Medal of Achievement, Translational Health Research Center, Texas State University. December 8, 2025
  • Award / Honor Recipient: CoSE 2025 Research Grant Millionaire Award, College of Science and Engineering, Texas State University. October 1, 2025
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Texas State Transfer 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: Elected Secretary-Treasurer, Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDP) Subgroup of the Biophysical Society. March 2019 - March 2020
View all awards
  1. Editorial Review Board Member

    Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Structural Biology

  2. Other

    Biochemistry MS Degree Program

  3. Chair

    Graduate Biochemistry Curriculum Committee

  4. Member

    Personnel Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

  5. Other

    Biochemistry BS Degree Outcomes and Assessment

  6. Member

    Biochemistry Curriculum Committee

  7. View all activities