Associate Professor

Science II 237
509-963-1092
nathan.kuwada@cwu.edu

Research Page: under construction!​

Educational Background

B.S., Physics, University of Washington, 2005
M.S., Physics, University of Oregon, 2007
Ph.D., Physics, University of Oregon, 2010

Teaching

These are the classes I often teach:

• PHYS 181-183: General Physics
• PHYS 351-352: Analytical Mechanics
• PHYS 381-383: Electromagnetic Theory
• PHYS 323: Experimental Biophysics

Research Interests

My primary research interest is in quantitative cell biology and experimental biophysics. I am specifically interested in saptio-temporal organization in bacterial cells: how does the cell get specific components to specific places at specific times using only a molecular toolkit to measure time and distance? My lab employs a variety of biophysical techniques, including live-cell fluorescence microscopy, molecular biology, genetics, and computational modeling. In addition to my own work, I also collaborate with CWU Physics professor Dr. Erin Craig on developing detailed mechanistic models for the human nerve cell axon.

Selected Publications

• NJ Kuwada, B Traxler, and PA Wiggins. High-throughput cell-cycle imaging opens new doors for discovery. Current genetics 61 (4), 513-516
• NJ Kuwada, B Traxler, and PA Wiggins. Genome-scale quantitative characterization of protein localization dynamics throughout the bacterial cell cycle. Molecular Microbiology,  95 (1), 64-79 (2014)
• TJ Lampo, NJ Kuwada, PA Wiggins, and AJ Spakowitz. Physical modeling of chromosome segregation in bacteria reveals impact of force and DNA relaxation. Biophysical Journal, New and Notable, 108 (1), 146-153 (2014)
• S Stylianidou, NJ Kuwada, and PA Wiggins. Cytoplasmic mobility reveals two modes of nucleoid-dependent mobility. Biophysical Journal, 107(11), 2684-2692. (2014).
• A Javer, NJ Kuwada, Z Long, VG Benza, KD Dorfman, PA Wiggins, P Cicuta, M Cosentino Lagomarsino. Persistent super-diffusive motion of E. coli chromosomal loci. Nature Communications, 5 (2014).
• C Garmendia-Torres, A Skupin, SA Michael, P Ruusuvuori, NJ Kuwada, D Falconnet, GA Cary, C Hansen, PA Wiggins, and AM Dudley. Unidirectional P-Body Transport during the Yeast Cell Cycle. PLOS ONE 9:e99428, (2014).
• NJ Kuwada, KC Cheveralls, B Traxler, and PA Wiggins. Mapping the Driving Forces of Chromosome Structure and Segregation in E. coli. Nucleic Acids Research, 41 (15), 7370-7377. (2013).
•  M LeRoux, J De Leon, NJ Kuwada, A Russell, D Pinto-Santini, R Hood, D Agnello, S Robertson, PA Wiggins, and J Mougous. Quantitative single cell characterization of bacterial interactions reveals type VI secretion is a double-edged sword. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109 (48), 19804-19809 (2012).
•  JR O’Connor, NJ Kuwada, V Huangyutitham, PA Wiggins, and CS Harwood. Surface sensing and lateral subcellular localization of WspA, the receptor in a chemosensory-like system leading to c-di-GMP production. Molecular Microbiology, 86 (3), 720-729 (2012).
• NJ Kuwada, MJ Zuckermann, EHC Bromely, RB Sessions, PMG Curmi, DN Woolfson, NR Forde, and H Linke. Tuning the performance of an artificial protein motor. Physical Review E, 84 (3), 031922 (2011).
• NJ Kuwada, GA Blab, and H Linke. A classical Master equation approach to modeling an artificial protein motor. Chemical Physics, 375, (2), 479-485 (2010).
• EHC Bromley, NJ Kuwada, MJ Zuckermann, R Donadini, L Samii, GA Blab, GG Gemmen, BJ Lopez, PMG Curmi, NR Forde, DN Woolfson, and H Linke. The Tumbleweed: Towards a synthetic protein motor. HFSP Journal 3, 204-212 (2009).
• BJ Lopez, NJ Kuwada, EM Craig, BR Long, and H Linke. Realization of a feedback controlled flashing ratchet. Physical Review Letters 101 (22), 220601 (2008).
• EM Craig, NJ Kuwada, BJ Lopez, and H Linke. Feedback control In flashing ratchets. Annalen der Physik 71 (2-3), 115-129 (2008).