Centre for Molecular and Soft Matter Modelling
Shenzhen Virtual University Park (SZVUP) in China, a strategic & innovative move by the Municipal Government of Shenzhen intended for vigorous development of High & New Tech Industry, is located in the south section of Shenzhen High and New Technology Industry Development Zone. The Virtual University Park was founded on Sep 10, 1999 with the Joint-Congress as its decision-making mechanism and the municipal mayor as its president with members coverage from university-level heads to functional bureau leaders in the city government. There are 48 Park-entered organizations and 18 network members in the Virtual University Park, which includes the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). In November 2011 UCLan has opened a Centre for Molecular and Soft Matter Modelling (CMSMM) on the premises of Shenzhen Virtual University Park. The Centre’s goal is to establish a collaborative network between UCLan and top researchers in China and to create a world leading centre for molecular modelling of bio-inspired nano-structured soft materials, molecular biophysical and bio-medical systems.
At this stage The Centre comprises of two Research Fellows (one more Research Fellow is to be appointed) at post-doctoral fellow level. The researchers are located at UCLan Shenzhen Virtual University Park office and supported by a local administrative personal.
The computational work makes use of UCLan High Performance Computing Facilities in Preston (UK) via remote access. The work is supervised by the project leader Dr Marco Pinna at UCLan. CMSMM forms an integral part of UCLan’s Computational Physics Group lead by Professor Andrei Zvelindovsky and UCLan’s Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering. UCLan’s Computational Physics Group is publishing its research in top journals such as ACS Nano, Physical Review Letters, Nature Materials, Soft Matter, Macromolecules, Polymer and others. Professor Zvelindovsky is one of original developers of the world famous modelling software MesoDyn. The research of the staff of the Computational Physics Group receives a high recognition such as Institute of Physics (UK) 2009 Prize in Computational Physics and 2010 Tadion-Rideal Prize for Molecular Science from King’s College London.
Staff at Shenzhen Centre
Dr. Yuhua Zhou (Eva)
Dr. Yuhua Zhou (Eva) is currently a Research Fellow at UCLan’s Biomedical Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd. She received her Master degree under the supervision of Prof. Guichang Wang in Physical Chemistry from Nankai Univeristy, Tianjin, and PhD degree in Theoretical Chemistry with Prof. Xin Lu from Xiamen University in 2008. From March 2009, she spent two and half years as a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Prof. Habin Su in Nanyang Technological University. In October 2011 she joined our Shenzhen Modeling Centre under Dr. Marco Pinna’s supervision as a Research Fellow. Her research interests include computational chemistry and material science, heterogeneous catalytic reactions. Her current research focuses on modeling the interactions between peptides and biological membranes.
Dr Jianping Wang
From February 2012 Jianping Wang is a Research Fellow at UCLan’s Biomedical Technology (Shenzhen) Limited. She got PhD in Physical Chemistry at Northeast Normal University in 2011 under supervision of Professor Zhongmin Su. Prior to that she has specialized in molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies of the interactions between small inorganic molecules and biological macromolecules during her MSc study. After that, she worked on Density Functional Theory of the electronic and chiroptical properties of polyoxometalate derivatives, which resulted in her PhD.
Vacancies at Shenzhen Centre
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To undertake a high quality collaborative research in the area of Molecular and Soft Matter Modelling under supervision of UCLan academics
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To present research results in top international journals and progress meetings
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To ensure the research information generated is kept secure
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To establish collaborative links with top academic groups in China
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To promote the activities of Shenzhen-UCLan Centre for Molecular and Soft Matter Modelling within the Shenzhen Virtual University Park and external bodies
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To identify and develop new projects and prepare bids to foster collaboration with top academic groups in China
The Research Fellow will be appointed in one of the following areas:
The Institute
