Andrés Córdoba was born in Medellín, Colombia. He received his BS degree in chemical engineering from Los Andes University in Bogotá in 2006. Andrés stayed at Los Andes and received a MSc in mechanical engineering in 2008 under the direction of Professor Jorge Medina. He then worked as an instructor in the Chemical Engineering Department at the same institution, teaching optimization of chemical processes and the unit operations laboratory. During his time at Los Andes, he was also involved in research projects related to bioremediation of heavy metals from waste waters and processing of biodegradable polymers. Andrés moved to Chicago in 2009 to pursue doctoral studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). There, under the direction of Professor Jay Schieber, he worked on modeling of microrheology of viscoelastic media and the role of molecular motors in the mechanical properties of active gels. Andrés joined the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering in the fall of 2014 after completing his PhD in chemical engineering at IIT in June 2014.
Andrés is interested in developing theoretical frameworks to analyze and understand the rheology and mechanical properties of biopolymer networks and fibers. He works with different levels of description from continuum mechanics to molecular descriptions of soft matter. Gaining a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the mechanical behavior of biological networks and fibers will provide valuable tools for a more rational design of new biomimetic materials. His current work focuses on applying coarse-grained models of DNA and proteins to study the encapsulation of DNA by molecular motors into viral capsids and the mechanisms by which DNA and histones compact into chromatin fibers.
1CPN: A coarse-grained multi-scale model of chromatin
Lequieu, Joshua, et al. "1CPN: A coarse-grained multi-scale model of chromatin." The Journal of chemical physics 150.21 (2019): 215102.
A molecular view of the dynamics of dsDNA packing inside viral capsids in the presence of ions
Córdoba, Andrés, et al. "A molecular view of the dynamics of dsDNA packing inside viral capsids in the presence of ions." Biophysical journal 112.7 (2017): 1302-1315.
Tension-dependent free energies of nucleosome unwrapping
Lequieu, Joshua, et al. "Tension-dependent free energies of nucleosome unwrapping." ACS central science 2.9 (2016): 660-666.
Mechanical response of dna–nanoparticle crystals to controlled deformation
Lequieu, Joshua, et al. "Mechanical response of dna–nanoparticle crystals to controlled deformation." ACS central science 2.9 (2016): 614-620.
Anisotropy and probe-medium interactions in the microrheology of nematic fluids
Córdoba, Andrés, et al. "Anisotropy and probe-medium interactions in the microrheology of nematic fluids." Journal of Rheology 60.1 (2016): 75-95.