Research at the Uchida Lab lies at the interface of biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, and materials chemistry. We draw inspiration from nature to design advanced materials with properties that extend beyond what is currently available. For example, viral capsids are remarkable structures that self-assemble from a minimal set of protein building blocks into highly functional, organized architectures. The overarching goal of the Uchida Lab is to understand the mechanisms underlying the self-assembly of biomolecules into hierarchical structures, such as viral capsids, and to harness these principles to engineer innovative protein-based materials with applications in biotechnology and biomedicine.