Dr. Martin McCullagh
Associate Professor
Education:
- B.S. (Honors) 2005, Emory University
- Ph.D. 2010, Northwestern University
Postdoctoral Appointments:
- Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA NIH Postdoctoral Fellow 2011-2014, University of Chicago
Research Interests:
- Biomolecular self-assembly
- Molecular machines
- Allostery
- Molecular Dynamics
- Coarse-graining
- Multiscale modeling
- Statistical Mechanics
- Liquid structure and solvation
The bottom-up design of new, sustainable and functional materials is heavily motivated by biological systems. This is due to the impressive array of functions that can be achieved in biological systems including high strength-to-weight ratio of biomaterials such as spider silk and high energy efficiency of biomolecular motors such as ATPsynthase. The McCullagh group seeks to utilize and develop multiscale modeling and computational approaches to understand how biological systems have evolved to utilize non-bonded interactions to achieve their function. The particular phenomena of interest are energy transduction in flavivirus NS3 helicases and self-assembly of peptides and proteins. Results from our work will allow for the design of new materials for energy conversion and biomedical applications.