The Ultrafast Chemical Physics in Scotland group
University of Glasgow
In the ultrafast chemical physics group headed by Klaas Wynne, we are interested in the structure and dynamics of liquids and solutions. We study peptides, proteins, and other biomolecules but consider them as amorphous blobs that behave much like liquids. We are especially interested in phase behaviour such as supercooling of liquids, folding transitions in peptides, nucleation of crystals from solution, and liquid-liquid and liquid-crystalline transitions. These phenomena are studied using femtosecond optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy, terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence (lifetime) imaging microscopy. |
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Gordon Hedley | |
Research in the group of Prof. Malcolm Kadodwala has has three themes: (a) spectroscopic investigations of the electronic properties of nanostructured materials on surfaces; (b) the development of new electron-based chirally sensitive spectroscopic techniques; (c) the develop-ment of novel chiroptical spectroscopic probes. Kadodwala currently holds an MRC discipline-hopping grant (Ref. G0902256), which is directly related to this proposal. The “hop” has enabled him to focus entirely on research and acquiring new skills in the life sciences. |
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Dr. Steven Magennis. The double helix is the iconic form of DNA but this unbranched form is not the active one in vivo. Instead, it is branched DNA molecules that are key intermediates in genetic duplication and repair of DNA damage. Branched DNA is also widely used for nanoscience and nanotechnology in the formation of self-assembled nanostructures. Research in the group of Dr Steven Magennis uses cutting-edge fluorescence tools to reveal unique information about the structure and dynamics of branched DNA at the single-molecule level. Single-molecule techniques reveal details about molecular systems that are obscured by conventional ensemble methods. Our research provides otherwise inaccessible information on biological processes involving branched DNA, which could lead to potential drug targets and to new design strategies for synthetic biology. It will also lead to the development of the next generation of programmable DNA nanostructures for materials applications and to the creation of new dynamic nanoscale machines and circuits. |
University of Edinburgh
Dr J. Olof Johansson Royal Society of Edinburgh/BP Trust Research Fellow | |
Eleanor Campbell |
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Anita Jones |
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Adam Kirrander |
Heriot-Watt University
Dave Townsend |
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Jeremy Coe |
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University of Strathclyde
Dr. Neil Hunt is a Reader in the Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde. Neil is an EPSRC Advanced Research Fellow working in the Biomolecular and Chemical Physics group, part of the Nanoscience division. Research in Neil's Multidimensional Spectroscopy Group concentrates on applying ultrafast two dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy to the study of biological systems. |
University of St Andrews
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Arvydas Ruseckas |
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Selected UCP publications
- J. Reichenbach, S.A. Ruddell, M. González-Jiménez, J. Lemes, D.A. Turton, D.J. France, and K. Wynne, Phonon-like hydrogen-bond modes in protic ionic liquids, JACS 139, 7160-7163 (2017).
- M. González-Jiménez, G. Ramakrishnan, T. Harwood, A.J. Lapthorn, S.M. Kelly, E.M. Ellis, and K. Wynne, Observation of coherent delocalised phonon-like modes in DNA under physiological conditions, Nature Commun., 7, 11799 (2016).