Charles Reilly

Background

About Charles Reilly

Charles Reilly is Principal Scientist at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically inspired Engineering, where he leads a molecular design team that merges experimental science with multiscale computational simulation and machine learning techniques. This work is focused towards understanding molecular biomechanics and the development of therapeutics. Reilly was recognized by the World Frontiers Forum who named him the Young Pioneer in Physics in 2017. Along with his scientific work, Reilly pursues his research through art, employing his novel computational process that merges scientific simulation tools and data with film industry VFX software. His video installation Life in Picoseconds (2017) at Le Laboratoire in Cambridge, MA, explored rhythm at the molecular scale and his short film The Beginning (2017) demonstrated how the pursuit of an artistic agenda can lead to new discoveries in molecular biosciences. Most recently, Reilly’s work was included in the 2019 Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York and the Cube Design Museum in Kerkrade, Netherlands. His The Choreography of Life was in included in the Smithsonians permanent collection in 2020. Reilly earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry with a focus on immunoproteomics at the University of Melbourne where he developed novel mass spectrometry techniques for vaccine discovery. Concurrent with his Ph.D, Reilly studied commercialization at the Melbourne Business School. He also has experience in film post-production and biomedical animation.