Josh Layfield

Biography

Research in the Layfield group will focus on using computational techniques to investigate the chemistry that occurs at chemical interfaces.  Students in my lab will be trained to calculate the detailed electronic structure of individual molecules as well the chemical dynamics of up to thousands of atoms at mesoscopic surfaces.  Classical molecular dynamics trajectories combined with quantum mechanical calculations will be used to predict the chemical environment of functionalized organic surfaces used as protein models.  These predictions will be used to inform and guide the work of experimental collaborators and provide atomistic insight into their experiments.  Additional projects will include studying the structure and dynamics of liquid-liquid interfaces that are ubiquitous in organic synthetic methods and the dissociation of biomolecules upon collision with surfaces to study protein assembly and aggregation in the cell. 

Research Interest

Computational techniques to investigate the chemistry that occurs at chemical interfaces, Synthetic methods and the dissociation of biomolecules upon collision with surfaces to study protein assembly and aggregation in the cell.