Many physicists have been drawn to the study of biology by the desire to understand the mechanisms of living organisms. They have found a good place to work in an applied science that lies at the boundaries of physics, chemistry and biology. Some (such as Francis Crick) have contributed profoundly to our understanding of life. Others have found that their skill as experimentalists can change medicine, as evidenced by such advances as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Yet others have used their skills in mathematics to propose theories for neural networks, electron transfer and non-linear phenomena such as heart rhythms. All have experienced the enrichment of working at the borders of a discipline. [Adapted from the APS Division of Biological Physics.]
The following research programs in biological physics are currently accessible through Rochester's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Prof. Thomas Foster works on fundamental problems of photodynamic therapy. In this technique, radiation and chemicals act locally with the help of oxygen to destroy cancerous cells. Foster studies the process at the molecular interaction stage and has made important advances in the quantitative aspects of this therapy. Prof. Jianhui Zhong works on the use and development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for studying changes in biological tissues. Recent works include the modeling of reduced diffusion in brain ischemia; diffusion-weighted MRI for detection of neuronal electrical activities; quantitative measurements of tumor oxygenation and flow; and development of intermolecular multiple-quantum coherence (iMQC) MRI. Both Prof. Foster's and Prof. Zhong's laboratories are in the University's Strong Memorial Medical Center. Prof. Lewis Rothberg's group works on biomolecular sensing and develops new assays that are useful for clinical and research applications. These are based on optical or electrical detection of small quantities of unmodified oligonucleotides or important proteins, and are carried out in collaboration with researchers at the Medical Center. Prof. Robert Knox, whose program principally involves undergraduate students and postdoctoral scientists, works on the photochemical physics of molecules involved with photosynthesis. His special interest is the theory of the mechanisms of transfer of solar excitation energy throughout the chlorophyll systems of plants and bacteria. In connection with this work Prof. Knox won the APS prize in Biological Physics in 1994. Prof. Esther Conwell is a theorist working on problems of charge transport and optical absorption and emission in DNA. Additional opportunities for research in Biological Physics exist with faculty in other units of the University. Prof. Mathews is a theorist in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the University Medical Center. His group in interested in problems relating to the prediction of RNA structure from its sequence, using both low and high resolution models.
The Department also participates in the M.D./Ph.D. program at the University, enabling particularly well prepared students the opportunity to work simultaneously toward the M.D. degree and the Ph.D. degree in Physics. A description of this program can be found here.
Faculty
Graduate Students
Ricardo Betancourt-Benitez |