ENGINEERING

With mathematical methods and supercomputer simulations, Humboldt Fellow Richard Henchman (University of Manchester) is exploring the factors of protein stability – Research stay at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), supported by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation

Since January 2013, Dr. Richard Henchman (University of Manchester) has been working at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) as a visiting scientist. The Alexander von Humboldt foundation awarded Dr. Henchman a Humboldt Research Fellowship for experienced researchers. This allows carrying out a long-term research project with an academic host in Germany. Richard Henchman will stay at HITS for eight months, working on the factors that determine protein stability.

Proteins are one of the main types of molecule responsible for making life happen. However, there is still a lot mystery about how they work and how they can be designed to perform useful functions. Dr. Richard Henchman's research is directed at understanding the factors that make proteins stable. An important contribution to stability is the total number of ways that all the molecules, both protein and solvent, can arrange themselves. Dr. Henchman will develop a new theory to answer this question for proteins, drawing on both the expertise of his collaborator Dr. Frauke Graeter about protein stability under force, and on his own advances concerning the structure and dynamics of aqueous systems.