CS Forum: Natasha Jonoska, University of South Florida "Computing with 3D molecular self-assembly"

Computing with 3D molecular self-assembly

Natasha Jonoska
University of South Florida

Abstract: 
Self-organization of 3D objects can be seen as a computational process. A complex structure, sometimes even without it achieving the minimal energy conformation, can result from local information processing between modular components, and the final shape can represent the answer to a computational question. An example of such computational shape formation is molecular self-assembly, in particular DNA self-assembly. We present several models that describe computations by construction of complex spatial formations and show an experimental proof-of-principle for one such model. Further, we associate an algebra to DNA origami whose elements and their product correspond to different assemblies.

Bio: 
Natasha Jonoska is a Distinguished University Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at University of South Florida in Tampa Florida. Her research interests are in algebraic, topological and computational models of molecular self-assembly and molecular biology. In the last 15 years she has had extensive research collaborations with experimentalists in molecular biology and structural DNA nano technology. She holds a PhD degree in Mathematical Sciences from the State University of New York in Binghamton NY, USA.  She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and has been awarded the Rozenberg Tulip Award in DNA Computing and Molecular Programming by the International Society for Nanoscale Science and Computing. She was named Blaise Pascal Professor for 2015 at the Leiden University, the Netherlands, and has held visiting research positions at New York University, University of Milano - Bicocca, University Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, and University of Orleans, France. She serves and has served as a Chair of Steering Committees of several conferences including the annual DNA Computing and Molecular Programming,  as well as  Unconventional Computing and Natural Computing conference. She also serves on editorial boards of several journals including Theoretical Computer Science, Natural Computing, Computability, International Journal of Foundations of Computer Science, and has edited several books on these topics.

CS forum is a seminar series arranged at the CS department. The talks are intended for presentations of postdoctoral level researchers and professors, both for visiting and CS-department-based researchers.