Biswajit Pradhan
Biophysicist with 10+ years of building optical instruments and turning single-molecule imaging data into discoveries, first author in Nature, Molecular Cell and Cell Reports. I work end to end across optics, molecular biology and software, from hardware and acquisition control to reproducible analysis pipelines.
biswajit.de
§ 01
- 2021 – now
Postdoctoral scientist, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt · group of Dr. Eugene Kim
Established Smc5/6 as a DNA loop-extruding motor with single-molecule imaging assays (Nature 2023).
Showed that the bacterial SMC complex Wadjet is a symmetric loop extruder that recognises and cleaves plasmids (Molecular Cell 2025).
Set up confocal, STED and FCS workflows (Leica Stellaris 8) and lattice light-sheet imaging (Zeiss LLS7).
Built Python/ML image-analysis tools that turn large, noisy single-molecule datasets into reproducible measurements.
Led international collaborations with labs in Vienna, Stockholm and UC San Diego; mentored group members.
- 2019 – 2021
Postdoctoral scientist, TU Delft, Department of Bionanoscience · lab of Prof. Cees Dekker
Built a multicolour single-molecule TIRF microscope from the ground up, with Python GUI software for automated acquisition and real-time analysis.
Showed that SMC complexes traverse roadblocks bigger than their ring size (Cell Reports 2022).
Taught super-resolution microscopy and optical-tweezers practicals; co-supervised students.
- 2014 – 2018
Doctoral researcher, Leiden Institute of Physics · groups of Prof. Michel Orrit and Prof. Gerard Canters
Built confocal microscopes for single-molecule fluorescence; engineered gold-nanorod antennas that enhance single-molecule fluorescence 10–100×.
Resolved individual electron-transfer events in the copper protein azurin (Chemical Science 2020).
§ 02
Education
- 2014 – 2018
PhD in Physics, Leiden University, Netherlands
Thesis: Fluorescence of single copper proteins: dynamic disorder and enhancement by a gold nanorod
- 2011 – 2013
MSc in Physical Chemistry, IIT Bombay, India
Thesis: Solvation dynamics of AOT lamellar microstructures using 2PBI-based dyes (advisor Prof. Anindya Datta)
- 2008 – 2011
BSc in Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics, Utkal University, India
Honours with distinction
§ 03
Fellowships & awards
- 2023
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship, European Commission, Horizon Europe
- 2014
NanoFront PhD Fellowship, Casimir Research School / NWO Gravitation programme
- 2013
Prof. B. L. Tembe Grant, IIT Bombay
§ 04
Teaching & mentoring
- 2019 – 2020
Super-resolution microscopy practical, TU Delft
- 2018 – 2019
Optical tweezers practical, TU Delft
- 2014 – 2016
Teaching assistant, Molecular Physics, Leiden University
-
Supervised 8 researchers
Bachelor's, Master's and PhD students in single-molecule microscopy, image analysis and protein biochemistry.
§ 05
Software
- 2026
KymoScope, Rust · WebAssembly · Python
Kymograph analysis for single-molecule DNA experiments; desktop, web, command line and Python.
- 2023
LEADS, Python
Analysis software for single-molecule roadblock-traversal experiments (Zenodo release).
§ 06
Skills
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Imaging & optics
Single-molecule TIRF, confocal, STED, FCS, light-sheet; optical tweezers; instrument design and build; plasmonic gold nanorods
-
Biochemistry
Protein expression and purification, fluorescent labelling of proteins and DNA, enzyme kinetics, mass photometry, MST
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Software & analysis
Python (NumPy, SciPy, scikit-image, napari, PyQt), Rust, MATLAB, C++, LabVIEW; ML for image analysis; single-molecule time-series analysis
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Languages
Odia (native), English and Hindi (fluent), German (B1)
§ 07
Publications
SMC motor proteins operate at the near-minimal forces for DNA loop extrusion
bioRxiv (2026)preprint
Loop-extrusion-mediated plasmid DNA cleavage by the bacterial SMC Wadjet complex
Molecular Cell 85(1), 107–116 (2025)
Loop-extruding Smc5/6 organizes transcription-induced positive DNA supercoils
Molecular Cell 84(5), 867–882 (2024) · cover article
Symmetry of loop extrusion by dimeric SMC complexes is DNA-tension-dependent
bioRxiv (2024)preprint
Scientific Reports 13, 8100 (2023) · † equal contribution
The Smc5/6 complex is a DNA loop-extruding motor
Nature 616, 843–848 (2023)
Condensin-driven loop extrusion on supercoiled DNA
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 29(7), 719–727 (2022)
ParB proteins can bypass DNA-bound roadblocks via dimer-dimer recruitment
Science Advances 8(26), eabn3299 (2022)
SMC complexes can traverse physical roadblocks bigger than their ring size
Cell Reports 41(3), 111491 (2022)
Chemical Science 11(3), 763–771 (2020)
Fluorescence of single copper proteins: dynamic disorder and enhancement by a gold nanorod
PhD thesis, Leiden University (2018)thesis
Quantifying fluorescence enhancement for slowly diffusing single molecules in plasmonic near fields
The Journal of Chemical Physics 148(12) (2018)
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 20(31), 20468–20475 (2018)
Gold nanorod enhanced fluorescence enables single-molecule electrochemistry of methylene blue
Angewandte Chemie International Edition 56(13), 3566–3569 (2017)
The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 120(45), 25996–26003 (2016)