Alla Kostyukova, Paul Hohenschuh Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering, has been named as interim director of the Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering.
With WSU since 2011, Kostyukova is a leader in protein engineering research. She studies proteins that control dynamics of actin filaments, which play a critical role in muscle contraction, cell movement and cell morphology. Her work could lead to better understanding of the breakdowns in cellular processes that lead to disease, especially heart disease.
Kostyukova has received research support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the past year, she has also been a co‑principal investigator on two NIH grants that support underrepresented student researchers in the biomedical field.
Before coming to WSU, she worked as a researcher in Russia’s Institute of Protein Research, Japan’s RIKEN Harima Institute at SPring8, and as a research assistant professor at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. She also received a German Academic Exchange Service fellowship in 2018.
Kostyukova holds a master’s degree in biophysics from St. Petersburg State University, Russia, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the Institute of Protein Research at Russian Academy of Sciences and Moscow State University.
She replaces outgoing director, Jim Petersen. He will continue on a part-time basis, assisting with personnel-related activities within the school, including promotion and tenure.
