Aidan Brown: Physics of Viruses and Bacteria

I am a physicist based at the University of Edinburgh. I am interested in the biophysics and mathematical biology of microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria. I use experiments, mathematical modeling and simulations to probe how microorganisms move around, grow, and interact with each other. A particular current interest is the interaction between bacteria and the viruses that prey on them, known as bacteriophages. In all of my work there is the dual aim of gaining fundamental understanding of the biology and physics and of using this understanding to control harmful microorganisms or harness them for our own benefit.

By background I am a Soft Matter physicist and Biophysicist with particular interests in bacteria and viruses, granular physics, active matter and membranes and interfaces. If you are interested in undertaking a PhD in any of these areas please get in touch. Click here for a list of projects. This list is not meant to be exhaustive and I am open to supervising sufficiently motivated and able students in any project that maps sufficiently well onto my own interests. Links to the University's central application portal and funding information can also be found on that page.