Understanding interactions between minerals and small biopolymers under extreme conditions
The project combines computational screening and wet-lab experiments to develop a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between silicate minerals and small biologically-relevant molecules, such as amino acids, peptides, peptoids and proteins. Our goal is to study the stability of these organic molecules and their mineral-enabled adaptability to environmental conditions. We will focus on sampling the effects of salinity, ion compositions and pH at the extremes of environmental conditions. The primary interest of this work is in the preservation of biosignatures on Mars, while the insights gained in the project have tremendous significance for a wide range of scientific problems, both fundamental (such as origin of life on the early Earth) to the applied (e.g., hazardous waste storage and environmental cleanup). The project is data-driven, where the statistics obtained from molecular simulations will be used to guide the experimental studies. Such a strategy allows us to establish a protocol where computational screening is used to sample mineral-bioorganic systems, informing and directing laboratory tests.
The project is supervised by Drs Valentina Erastova (School of Chemistry) and Sean McMahon (School of Physics & Astronomy) and is also hosted in the UK Center for Astrobiology.
The studentship is fully funded for 48 months by the University of Edinburgh and covers tuition fees and an annual stipend (starting at £17,668 per annum) for a candidate satisfying EPSRC residency criteria.
Enquiries and the initial application should be directed to:
Dr Valentina Erastova, valentina.erastova[at]ed.ac.uk
The position will remain open until filled.