Abdou Rachid Thiam
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Yale University
Abdou Rachid Thiam | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Pierre and Marie Curie University |
| Known for | lipid droplets |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Ecole Normale Superieure Yale University |
| Website | https://arthiam.com/ |
Abdou Rachid Thiam is a Senegalese[1] biophysicist and research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research[2] and Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France (UMR 8023), where he studies physical mechanisms regulating the dynamics of lipid droplets in cells and in vitro.[3] His work integrates approaches from physics and cell biology.[3]
Thiam received a Bachelor of Science from ESPCI Paris[4] before conducting his doctoral research at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris on the study of the stability of emulsions using microfluidics.[5]
After his PhD, he moved to Yale University in 2012 under a Marie Curie fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research in the team of Nobel prize Laureate James E. Rothman,[6] before starting his research group at CNRS in 2014.[7] In 2024 he co-founded Oria Bioscience, a biotechnology startup company focused on applying advances in cell biology and biophysics to drug development and pharmaceutical innovation.[8]
Research contributions
Thiam’s early research examined the stability and interfacial properties of emulsions using microfluidic techniques.[9] His subsequent research has examined how lipid droplets form from cellular membranes and how their physical properties influence their behavior and interactions within cells. In particular, lipid droplets originate from the endoplasmic reticulum and are governed by interfacial properties such as surface tension and membrane composition, which affect their formation and morphology. [10][11]
His work also uses simplified and reconstituted experimental systems to model intracellular processes, enabling quantitative analysis of membrane behavior and lipid droplet dynamics under controlled physical conditions.[12]
Awards and recognition
Abdou Rachid Thiam was the recipient of a CNRS Bronze medal in 2020.[13] He was awarded the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences in 2025, a European scientific prize recognizing outstanding contributions in biomedical research.[14]
