The deadline for guaranteed consideration is today, but applications will be considered until the positions are filled. Positions can have a delayed start if necessary.
Project Description For guaranteed consideration, please apply by May 22, 2026. Email adam.noel@mun.ca for informal inquiries or additional information Molecular communication (MC) is an emerging interdisciplinary field within communication engineering and inspired by signaling with molecules in nature. Many of our normal biological processes use molecular signaling, and it is also common in biomedical and biological research. Tools from MC can be used to understand the signaling processes used by bacteria, cancer cells, neurons, plants cells, and more, thereby encouraging us to develop strategies that strengthen healthy communication links or deter unhealthy links. Although agar plates in Petri dishes are commonly used for lab bench biological experiments with bacteria, fungi, and more, there is limited understanding of molecule propagation in these environments and a lack of established mathematical models. The BioPhysComm Lab has performed proof-of-concept experiments for data capture with bacteria and developed a rudimentary mathematical model, but a more structured approach is needed to produce reliable data and develop corresponding models. This employment opportunity is for a Ph.D. student to develop rigorous mathematical models to describe signal propagation in Petri dishes and experimental protocols to test and verify results. Results will also be validated against multi-scale simulations.
https://www.engr.mun.ca/~adamnoel/group.html
