Office: 461-N MCB Hall

            217-A VBI

Phone: (540) 231 4171 MCB

              (540) 231 9264 VBI

Email: davidmur@vt.edu

Research: Graduate Research Assistant, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, Virginia Tech, Fall 2009-present.

Computational Biomathematics: Toward Optimal Control Of Complex Biological Systems.   

As part of my thesis project I have been working on a generalization of the concept of Nested Canalyzing Functions (NCFs) for a larger finite field (currently this concept is well used only for the Boolean case, where the field has two elements). NCFs are a possible source for models of biological networks with favorable dynamical properties. NCFs can be given a polynomial form over a finite field. I am interested in studying the algebraic variety associated with the coefficients of NCFs, which seems to be always a toric variety. Toric varieties have rich geometric and combinatorial properties to be explored using tools from algebra and computational algebraic geometry. A second part of this project would be the incorporation of NCFs as a technique for network inference for discrete biochemical networks, being the best candidate to start with the multi-state logical models.

Curriculum Vitae:

cvdavidmur.pdf

Some interesting links

1. •www.vbi.vt.edu
   

2. •https://www.vbi.vt.edu/admg/