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Molecular Computing: A New Frontier for Interdisciplinary Engineering
Mon, Apr 18, 2016 @ 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker: Dr. Matthew Lakin, Professor, University of New Mexico
Talk Title: Molecular Computing: A New Frontier for Interdisciplinary Engineering
Abstract: Biological systems have evolved complex information storage and processing capabilities. These involve information-carrying DNA and RNA molecules as well as sophisticated molecular machines, such as the ribosome, that use this information to produce the proteins that drive many cellular processes. The field of molecular computing aims to achieve similarly precise, programmable control over the structure and dynamics of nanoscale computing systems, drawing on approaches from computer engineering, computer science, biology, and biochemistry. For example, a molecular computer might be designed to patrol the body, autonomously diagnosing and treating individual cells, to prevent or cure disease. In this talk I will describe my research on the design, verification, and implementation of DNA-based molecular computing architectures. I will describe my work on software tools and verification techniques as well as my work on wet lab experiments.
Biography: Matthew Lakin obtained his B.A. and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge. After graduating he worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Biological Computation Group at Microsoft Research in Cambridge. From 2011 to 2015, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Lakin is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Departments of Computer Science and Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of New Mexico and is also a member of the UNM Center for Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Lakin works on theoretical and experimental aspects of molecular computing using DNA. He builds software tools for the design of molecular computers, works on reasoning techniques to understand and verify their behavior, constructs experimental systems that exhibit novel dynamic behaviors, and works towards applications of molecular computers to monitor and control biological and chemical systems.
Host: Professor Alice Parker
Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 132
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Suzanne Wong
