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 Chemical Theory, Models and Computational Methods program within the Division of Chemistry (MPS/CHE) and the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology (BIO/MCB) for the development of theoretical tools to model lipid bilayers and biomembranes for use in simulating complex biochemical and biophysical phenomena. Dr. Brown's algorithms allow hydrodynamically and thermodynamically consistent modeling of inhomogeneous membrane surfaces over a range of "mesocopic" length scales (tens of nanometers to tens of microns) and time scales (tens of nanoseconds to tens of seconds and 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 complex cellular environments and 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. Dr. Brown also serves as co-director of the UCSB center for scientific computing, which oversees and maintains shared scientific computing facilities for the UCSB campus, for use in both research and classroom teaching.