Coarse-Grained Simulation of DNA

Funding for a 3.5-year PhD project at the Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow is available from 1 October 2019 for Home/UK/EU students.

*** Project Background and Details ***

During the last decade a number of mesoscopic, coarse-grained models of DNA have emerged, which can provide significant computational and conceptual advantages over atomistic models, leading often to three or more orders of magnitude greater efficiency. These models become indispensable for studying phenomena in the millisecond range and beyond, or when long DNA strands of tens of thousands of base pairs or more have to be considered.

This PhD project will focus on coarse-grained modelling of DNA and RNA and potentially also other soft biological materials like the prokaryotic cytoskeleton. Possible research directions range from DNA supercoiling or DNA-based nanomaterials to model development and can be chosen according to the student’s interests and skillset.
The applicant will join an exciting new interdisciplinary PhD programme as part of Strathclyde’s “Transformative Technologies for Future Nanomedicines” CDT, a collaboration between four Science and Engineering Departments. Access to Strathclyde’s newly upgraded HPC facility ARCHIE-WeSt and the UK’s National Supercomputing Service ARCHER will be provided. The PhD student will be based in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, which offers many attractions and ideal access to the Scottish Highlands and West Coast.

*** Requirements ***

The applicant should hold a Master degree in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Applied Mathematics or a related subject, awarded with an equivalent of a UK first- class honours (1st) or upper second-class honours (2:1). Previous experience with numerical simulation methodologies including Langevin dynamics and advanced sampling methods, knowledge of a general-purpose programming language such as C/C++ as well as scientific software development would be highly beneficial.

*** How to apply ***

Please feel free to make informal enquiries to the supervisor Dr Oliver Henrich. To apply, please send a cover letter (1 page), CV (up to 2 pages) and the contact details of 2 personal references to Dr Oliver Henrich ([Email Address Removed]) and fill in the online application form following this link:

https://tinyurl.com/cgmodelling

Applications should be submitted as early as possible. Interviews will be held either in person or via Skype. The official start date of the project is 1 October 2019.