Biophysical principles of cellular self-organization

A project in modelling self-organization and pattern formation inside biological cells is available in the group of Professor Andrew Goryachev (goryachev.ed.ac.uk). The themes that the group works on include, but are not limited to, the following: self-organization of molecular motors and cytoskeleton, biomechanics of acto-myosin contractility, formation of intracellular gradients due to kinase-phosphatase opposition, reaction-diffusion patterns and waves on the plasma membrane, symmetry breaking and maintenance of cellular polarity. The projects are suitable for the graduates with interest in biomathematics, biomedical and biological physics.
The group works on the interface of soft matter physics, chemical kinetics and cell biology. The student will have an opportunity to learn science and methods of the above disciplines and acquire practical skills in the design of biological models, analytical analysis and numerical solution of reaction-diffusion and soft-matter physics partial differential problems. The student will receive training in nonlinear dynamical systems, bifurcation theory and stability analysis. With continuing coaching and guidance, the student is expected to read and interpret biological literature, construct models and perform their numerical simulation and analysis. The project offers an excellent opportunity for the students with background in mathematics, physical sciences and engineering to learn modern cell and developmental biology while contributing to the cutting-edge research, which is published in the high-profile journals. Depending on the student’s interests and specific project details, there exists an opportunity to learn laboratory skills in the labs of our collaborators.

The research focus in the Goryachev group (http://goryachev.bio.ed.ac.uk) is on understanding biophysical mechanisms of symmetry breaking in biological systems. Symmetry breaking manifests itself in a variety of dazzling biological phenomena and our aim is to improve their understanding via construction of predictive mechanistic models. We are looking for motivated, enthusiastic young people with the background in physical, life, computational sciences and engineering who are passionate about research.

Several types of competitive scholarships are available for the prospective PhD students at the University of Edinburgh. Depending on the topic, allied faculty from physics, mathematics and informatics departments are available to co-supervise the project.