Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY 2002

Mchenry Matthew J, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY2002. The fellowship supports research and training at the postdoctoral level at the intersection of biology and the informational, computational, mathematical, and statistical sciences. The goal of the fellowship is to provide training to a young scientist in preparation for a career in biological informatics in which research and education will be integrated. There is an increasing need for training in biological informatics at all occupational levels, and it is expected that Fellows trained through these fellowships will play important roles in training the future workforce. The research and training plan for this fellowship is entitled "Modeling the dynamics of mechanoreception in fish." Fish can perceive mechanical vibrations even when water flows over the body during swimming. Both the swimming motion and mechanical stimuli generate forces on mechanosensory structures on the surface of the body. By integrating experimental and computational approaches, this work examines how these forces vary with stimuli and with the swimming motion.