Presenter
Lee Cronin, University of Glasgow
CEO Founder of Chemify and Regius Professor of Chemistry. My research group conducts research in synthetic chemistry, complex chemical systems, nanotechnology, inorganic biology, self assembly, functional materials, molecular design, molecular engineering, energy systems, new reaction formats for chemistry including robotics and 3d printing, microfluidics and novel software processing and control systems. We are also commercializing some of this work with a spin out, innovation center...
Ayusman Sen, Pennsylvania State University
Verne M. Willaman Professor of Chemistry, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Chemical Engineering
Giulio Ragazzon, University of Strasbourg
Principal investigator of the Laboratory of Driven Chemical Processes. My research interests evolved from photochemistry to molecular machines, self-assembling systems and nanomaterials, as reflected by the interests of my mentors: Credi, Aida, Prins & Prato. I am recipient of multiple awards, including the European Young Chemist Award.
Brenda M. Rubenstein, Brown University
I am currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics, and a Graduate Training in Biology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. My research is focused upon developing and applying Auxiliary Field Quantum Monte Carlo to strongly correlated solids, clusters, and complex molecules. I also work on a number of problems related to quantum computing, molecular computing, biological computing, warm dense matter, and computational biophysics...
Shucong Li, Harvard University
Postdoc in Mechanical Engineering, ZhaoLab, MECHE, MIT. As a researcher in material science, I’ve been always fascinated by the intelligent materials—living organisms—that nature creates. To survive and master in the ever-changing environment, “nature uses soft materials frequently and stiff materials sparingly – better bent than broken” (Vogel, 1995), and is capable of tasks that surpass even the most impressive machines that humans have devised. nterested in synthetically constructing soft intelligent materials, my researchs...
Summary:
What is the group doing?
The group wants to build a materials system that works by adapting to the work requirement, or better yet that evolves to optimize its performance. We want to subject the systems to energy sources and engineer how materials adapt to the influx of energy; thus, evolving by adaptation. For example, we can think of libraries of peptides that can adapt in the presence of different environmental cues, in presence of an energy supply such as ATP. Or we can observe the synthetic protocells that will be able to pass the Turing test and act as translators between different living species.
What is new in your approach?
We will focus on controlling constraints (kinetics, time scales, length scales), which we see as memory, either short-term or long-term, depending on process kinetics. In particular, we will try to understand the energy flow and how information content affects behavior.
How is it done today? If you are successful, what difference will it make?
Currently, adaptation is mostly limited to synthetic biology, or in silico systems. Essentially, it is never from scratch. If we succeed, everyone in functional materials will be engaged. We would unlock systems that can optimize themselves and can work together. For example, this would mean that a single material system would be able to optimize its performance towards four different tasks.
Cost and timeline?
We aim at a multidisciplinary consortium of 16 postdocs/grad. students/years encompassing synthetic chemists, physical chemists, algorithm development – including modelers – chemical engineers, material scientists, and biologists. It will take 4-5 years, with a good deal of luck.
What are the midterm and final exams to check for completeness?
Midterm: one out-of-equilibrium system that adapts to different tasks.
Final: 1st generation materials that can evolve through adaptation to 2nd generation materials that give better performance.
