Stochastic methods in chemistry and biophysics

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

Frank Brown of the University of California, Santa Barbara is supported by an award from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry program within the Division of Chemistry for the development of theoretical tools to 1) model lipid bilayers and biomembranes for use in simulating complex biochemical and biophysical phenomena and 2) to model single-molecule spectroscopy experiments with emphasis on photon counting measurements that provide both time and frequency domain resolution. Dr. Brown's Fourier-Space Brownian Dynamics (FSBD) algorithm allows hydrodynamically consistent modeling of inhomogeneous membrane surfaces over micron length scales at time scales of seconds or longer. The research is having a broad impact on the interpretation of experiments that enhance our understanding of biological phenomena such as the diffusion of membrane proteins in crowded cellular environments or the structure and dynamics of human red blood cells. Dr. Brown communicates the excitement and importance of science to grade school children through his participation in the Physics Circus and Chemistry Outreach programs at UCSB. This project is supported by the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program in a co-funding arrangement with Molecular Biophysics of Molecular and Cellular Biology.