Scholar Spotlight: Korina Beran

Korina Beran is a Ph.D. student in Biophysical Computational Chemistry in the UC Department of Chemistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Applied Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. Korina’s work is driven by a mission to revolutionize protein engineering, moving toward predictive, high-precision molecular design. Under Dr. Ruxandra Dima and in collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, her research focuses on modeling and evaluating mutations of the Suppressor of T-cell Signaling 1 (Sts-1) protein using Active  Learning-Directed Evolution (ALDE) frameworks paired with molecular simulations.

Korina’s research excellence was nationally recognized in 2026 when she received an Honorable Mention in the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). This distinction highlighted her innovative proposal to use multiscale computational modeling and machine learning to investigate the molecular mechanisms connecting tau aggregation to microtubule envelope formation. Beyond her primary research, Korina has served as a Teaching Assistant for both General Chemistry and Biochemistry labs.

Beyond the lab, Korina is a leader in the scientific community, currently serving as President of the Consortium for Cultural Diversity in Chemistry (CCDC) and a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS). She is also an avid hiker, a dedicated fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and enjoys spending time with her cats.