Nicholas Licata
Assistant Professor
Physics
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DEARBORN
United States of America
Biography
University of Michigan, Physics, Ph.D. (2008) M.S. (2005). Rice University, Physics, B.S. (2003).
Research Interest
My training as a scientist is in the fields of theoretical soft-condensed matter, biological, and statistical physics. I am interested in understanding the physical principles which govern the organization and function of biological systems and materials. My dissertation work focused on bio-inspired methods to self-assemble useful materials using DNA. Recent work focuses on living systems (bacterial chemotaxis and biofilms), and some physical problems from embryonic development. Much of the work is done in collaboration with experimental colleagues, or is inspired by recent experiments.
Publications
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Diffusion of Bacterial Cells in Porous Media, Licata et al. Biophysical Journal 110, 247-257, (2016).
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Physiochemical Properties of Caulobacter crescentus Holdfast: A Localized Bacterial Adhesive, Berne et al. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 117 (36), 10492-10503, (2013).
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Fluid flow enhances the effectiveness of toxin export by aquatic microorganisms: A first-passage perspective on microvilli and the concentration boundary layer, Licata et al. Physical Review E 91, 012709, (2015).
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Novel Pseudotaxis Mechanisms Improve Migration of Straight Swimming Bacterial Mutants Through a Porous Environment, Mohari et al. mBio 6.2 (2015): e00005-15.
