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Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

 

Postdoc Chris Forman will talk about “Natural Nanotechnology” at this year’s Cheltenham Science Festival on Thursday the 4th of June.  Of course technology doesn’t grow on trees... does it? 

In fact, Chris uses the idea of iPods growing on trees to explain how biology makes its own versions of batteries, displays and processors, using tiny nanoscale components. 


Chris, whose background is in theoretical physics, biophysics and nanotechnology, says he breaks apart an iPod to see what's inside and uses it as a “slice through biology” to explain concepts like self-assembly, electron transport in biosystems, and translation and transcription of DNA information into proteins, and how these can produce functionally similar components to those found in the iPod.


Along the way he explores the importance of soil, 3D printing, additive manufacturing, planetary boundary conditions and the thermodynamics of the planet--and how these things all couple together.  


Chris received his PhD in biophysics in 2009 and completed his first postdoc at the Institute for Manufacturing, looking at the use of Focused Ion Beam to control the potential and topology of HOPG surfaces and their interactions with proteins.  He is now working as a postdoc with Professor David Wales, using coarse grain basin hopping techniques to study bone and peptide based fibrous materials, in collaboration with Professor Melinda Duer and Dr Paul Barker.


Chris says he is thrilled to be presenting his lecture at the prestigious Cheltenham Science festival, and he will also give the talk in the Wolfson Lecture Theatre on Friday May 8th at 2 pm, for which he welcomes feedback to enable him to make any necessary changes before the festival.