Michael Thomas Wolfinger
I am a theoretical chemist in structural and computational RNA biology. My research comprises algorithmic bioinformatics and computational genomics.
My passion about theoretical aspects of virology has led me to specialize in virus bioinformatics, particularly RNA viruses. On a broader scale, I am interested in
- RNA structure prediction in 2D and 3D
- RNA structure probing
- RNA-protein interactions
- Co-transcriptional RNA folding dynamics
- In silico design of riboswitches for synthetic biology applications
- Microbial genotype-phenotype associations
I am also interested in RNA folding kinetics and the dynamics of RNA folding pathways. Here, I am studying discrete energy landscapes, equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties of complex disordered systems, and efficient sampling strategies.
My primary academic affiliation is with the Research Group Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB) and the Theoretical Biochemistry Group (TBI) at the Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna. Our Institute is renowned as the home of the ViennaRNA Package, a widely used tool for RNA bioinformatics. I am the founder of RNA Forecast, an enterprise with a vision to bring the full potential of RNA structure to the forefront of the pharma and biotech industries.