Faculty Profiles

Dr. Steven T Whitten

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

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 (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.
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.

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: 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

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 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

Editorial Review Board Member
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Structural Biology
January 2026 - Present
Other
Biochemistry MS Degree Program
2016 - Present
Chair
Graduate Biochemistry Curriculum Committee
2016 - Present
Member
Personnel Committee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
September 2015 - Present
Other
Biochemistry BS Degree Outcomes and Assessment
2014 - Present
Member
Biochemistry Curriculum Committee
2010 - Present
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