2019 Physics of Life Student Summer Bursary Project Awards

The Physics of Life network 2 supported 11 summer student bursaries to undergraduates interested in pursuing multidisciplinary research projects combining physics and biology. The aim of this bursary scheme was to give motivated undergraduates the opportunity to gain experience in writing a research proposal, and with training, carry out independent research alongside established academics. Experience gained from these projects can provide invaluable skills, useful for student personal development and future employability. The research generated from these summer bursary projects have played an important role in catalysing/pump-priming research in the form of publication and larger possible PoL research grants for academics working across Physics and Biology.

Supported bursaries

Computational Design of Nanopores for the Elucidation of Protein Unfolding Pathways, University of Southampton
Student: Daniel Williams-Brown Supervisor: Syma Khalid

Development of a simple physical model for the cell-division time of Escherichia coli, University of Surrey       
Student: Oliver Camilleri Supervisor: Richard Sear

Optical fingerprints of Amyloid Oligomers: A Determination of Alzheimer- Related Oligomer Stoichiometry using Single-Molecule Photobleaching, University of York          
Student: Patrick Hunter  Supervisor: Steven Quinn

Mechanical Properties of the Pancreatic Tumor Extracellular Matrix, University of Oxford
Student: Renat  Karimov Supervisor: Sonia Antoranz Contera

Investigating the Structural and Dynamic Impact of Drug Binding to Blood Serum Proteins, University of York
Student: Olivia Dalby Supervisor: Neil Hunt

Investigating the flexibility of protein regions containing post-translationally modified cysteines using structural rigidity theory, University of Sheffield
Student: Sarah Chapman Supervisor: Nicholas Fowler

Long-lived spin coherences and quantum metastability for the Cryptochrome Magnetosensor, University of Exeter
Student: Angus Crookes Supervisor: Daniel Kattnig

Probing the Sequence-Dependence of Allosteric Interactions through DNA, University of Glasgow
Student: Katalin Orosz Supervisor: Steven Magennis

Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of amyloid-β peptides, Kings College London
Student: Raquel LÃpez-RÃos de Castro Supervisors: Chris Lorenz and Martin Ulmschneider  
            
Activity driven restructuring of micro-environments, Loughborough University
Student: Steven Norfolk Supervisor: Tyler Shendruk          

Condensation of intrinsically disordered proteins into clusters, University of York
Student: Arsenii Zats Supervisors: Tom McLeish FRS, Michael Plevin and Charley Schaefer