* Major subjects: : non-equilibrium statistical physics, cell biology, gene regulation noise
* Group size: 2-3 students
* Recommended literature: 1. Kaern, M., et al., Stochasticity in gene expression: From theories to phenotypes. Nature Reviews Genetics, 2005. 6(6): p. 451-464.
2. Eldar, A. and M.B. Elowitz, Functional roles for noise in genetic circuits. Nature, 2010. 467(7312): p. 167-173.

* Perequisites: It is advantageous, but not necessary, to have a background in physics (Teknisk fysik och Teknisk matematik), chemistry (Kemi- och bioteknik), math or computer science (Elektro, Data, IT), or the equivalent from GU. In fact, the background in other areas (e.g. Biology) could be an advantage since you will probably have to forget many things you know anyway. The project is bottomless, and you can develop in any direction you like (the method development, theory or coding, or just using the existing programs and working on the applied part).

The most important requirement is your psychological profile. You should be: curious, have strong nerves, and not be afraid of unknown. The biology you need you will learn as the time goes. The supervision will be in Swedish or English. All writing is to be done in English as it is expected that the work to be done should result in a publication or something close to it.

* Supervisors: Zoran Konkoli, zorank@chalmers.se, 031-772 5480, A520 (MC2, 5th floor, A wing), BNSL
* Examiner: Zoran Konkoli, zorank@chalmers.se, 031-772 5480, A520 (MC2, 5th floor, A wing), BNSL
* Description of project (describe the project in a text consisting of approximately 200-1500 characters): Background: Why some members of the family experience haploinsufficiency syndrome (e.g. lack of the collarbone) while others do not though they share the same genetic setup? The dynamics of the living is intrinsically stochastic. Understanding of the design principles of intracellular feedback loops, and their characterization, is likely to be an important step for understanding a range of noise driven cell disorders and for developing successful treatments for such diseases.

Problem description: The project consists of a computational study of kinetics of the simplified cell model with a haploinsufficiency syndrome. As a starting point a well-defined model published by others will be used. The model has been simulated many times but not understood in a semi-analytical fashion. This will be done by using the existing Mathematica code that has been developed in the house recently. Unlike other state of the art methods, it can address higher order correlation effects that are likely to be important for the process. You will have a unique opportunity to use the method on a relevant biological problem.

Approach: Truly interdisciplinary. On the physics side, you will learn a great deal about non equilibrium statistical physics, and workings of moment closure methods. On the biology side, you will gain insights into workings of the living cell