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About

S.E. McPhillips is a structural biologist and beamline technologist whose career has been defined by advancing the infrastructure and accessibility of macromolecular crystallography, primarily through work at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL). McPhillips has made significant contributions to the automation and efficiency of X-ray crystallography data collection, most notably through the development of high-density grid-based sample mounting strategies that enable high-throughput data collection from multiple small and radiation-sensitive crystals — a landmark contribution that has garnered 75 citations and proven especially valuable for serial femtosecond crystallography applications. Further advancing laboratory automation, McPhillips played a central role in upgrading the Stanford Automated Mounter system, improving robotic crystal handling throughput across SSRL's macromolecular crystallography beamlines (39 citations). Perhaps equally impactful is McPhillips' pioneering work in remote beamline access, enabling researchers worldwide to conduct crystallography experiments from their home institutions since 2005 — a forward-thinking development that has shaped modern collaborative science and broadened participation in structural biology research. Early contributions to structural genomics, including systematic protein crystal characterization pipelines, further reflect a career dedicated to making powerful structural tools faster, smarter, and more widely accessible.