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Doctoral research

If you are interested in joining our group then there are plenty of possibilities. We currently invite applications to the following opportunities:

1) DPhil in Industrial Mathematics Studentship
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2) Microscale coiling and wrapping in nature and technology
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3) Engineering liquid-crystal-based platforms for rapid sensing of biomolecules
This project is in collaboration with Sourav Mondal, Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India and Apala Majumdar, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Scotland.

Liquid-crystal (LC) thin films may be used to detect biomolecules by studying the change in their birefringence pattern, which is captured using a polarised micrograph. The micrograph is unique for a particular biomolecule and also follows a trend with varying concentration and so may be used as a signature for their detection. The key challenge lies in the stability of the LC layer and the selectivity of detection, which can be improved using external field perturbations (electric, thermal, etc.). In this project, we will develop a mathematical model that relates the birefringence pattern to a particular biomolecule and the concentration under a given electric field. We will work with experimental data to validate the model. We will use the mathematical model to guide the experimental protocol to generate a stable LC configuration to ensure reliable predictions for the biomolecules that are identified and their concentrations. We will then use the model to propose an electric-field distribution in the thin film to enhance the selectivity and detection limit. We also need to understand the impact of the internal domain motion due to the electrical field perturbations on the dynamics of the LC molecules in the film, leading to fluctuations in the final micrograph.

liquid crystals

Schematic of the LC-aqueous sensor fabricated in a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid characterized with a microscope showing the LC texture.

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4) DPhil in the Mathematical Institute
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