Ph.D PROGRAMME » OVERVIEW

G. K. Ananthasuresh and Tejas G. Murthy

Department of Mechanical Enginnering, IISc and Department of Civil Engineering, IISc

The mechanical behaviour of a biological cell can be modeled in many ways, including continumm modeling, multi-phase modeling, tensegrity modeling, etc. However, it should be recognized that a cell is essentially a heteregenous granular material comprising organelle and proteins moving within the cell and interacting with extra cellular matrix. Tissue is also an example of the same kind with some differences. Therefore, it is sensible to model a cell and tissue by including the inter-particle interactions wherein all distinct entities are considered as particles. The Discrete Element Method (DEM), developed over four decades by geotechnical engineers, offers a new way to model biological cells and tissues. In this project, we want to take advantage of the versatility of DEM in understanding the mechanical behaviour of biological cells and tissues. The DEM technique is similar in principle to Molecular Dynamics Simulation but is based on principles of contact mechanics and multi-body dynamics and can handle particles of different shapes and sizes.

Pre-requisites: Understanding of engineering mathematics, mechanics, and multi-body dynamics; familiarity with numerical analysis is preferred. Biology required for the project will be taught through courses and supervised study.