UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1284

Submission information
Submission Number: 1284
Submission ID: 21016
Submission UUID: 2573ff06-7ea9-4153-985f-86d5408f8eee

Created: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 09:25 PM
Completed: Mon, 08/18/2025 - 09:36 PM
Changed: Mon, 08/25/2025 - 11:41 AM

Remote IP address: 179.218.246.76
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English

Is draft: No
Primary Research Mentor Name Marcos Müller Vasconcelos
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns
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Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated) m.vasconcelos@fsu.edu
Position Title Faculty
FSU College (if applicable) FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation Electrical Engineering
Headshot (optional) IMG_2726_jpg.jpg
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above)
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated)
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable)
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?
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Title of the Project Understanding the Dynamics of Bacterial Networks via Quorum Sensing
Project Keywords Systems Biology, Mathematical Models, Bacterial Networks, Quorum Sensing
Are you currently looking for research assistants? Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s) Biology, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Statistics, Computer Science
Project Location: FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation? Yes
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s): Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work? 10 hours/week
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work? Outside of business hours
Overall Research Project Description Bacteria often communicate using chemical signals in a process known as quorum sensing (QS). Through QS, individual cells release and detect small signaling molecules to coordinate behaviors such as biofilm formation, virulence, and antibiotic production. These systems are inherently nonlinear: feedback loops, repression/activation dynamics, and population growth create complex behaviors, including oscillations and spatial pattern formation. Mathematical modeling provides a way to understand how local interactions among bacteria lead to emergent collective behaviors. Using tools from differential equations, dynamical systems, and network science, we can capture the key mechanisms of quorum sensing and explore conditions under which oscillations, waves, or spatial patterns emerge.

Objectives

This project aims to introduce UROP students to the modeling of microbial communication by focusing on:

1. Regulatory Circuits – modeling gene regulatory feedback loops underlying quorum sensing.

2. Population Dynamics – studying how growth, signaling, and repression interact over time.

3. Spatial Effects – exploring how diffusion of signaling molecules leads to spatial heterogeneity (e.g., concentric rings of activity).

This is a joint project with researchers from the University of California Berkeley.
Research Tasks Students may take one or more of the following approaches:

1. ODE Modeling: Build systems of nonlinear differential equations for quorum sensing circuits and analyze conditions for oscillations.

2. Numerical Simulation: Implement MATLAB or Python simulations to study how parameters (Hill coefficients, diffusion rates, repression thresholds) affect system behavior.

3. Pattern Formation Analysis: Extend models with diffusion terms to investigate how spatial concentration gradients lead to emergent colony-level structures.

4. Comparative Study: Relate mathematical results to experimental findings reported in microbiology literature.
Skills that research assistant(s) may need: 1. Basic background in differential equations - recommended

2. Some programming experience (MATLAB or Python) - recommended

3. Interest in applying mathematics to biological systems - required
Mentoring Philosophy Our mentoring philosophy centers on empowering students to gain confidence in their ideas and nurturing their creativity. At the MINDS lab, we embrace the motto that there is no limit to what the human mind can accomplish and that the world of ideas offers an infinite number of low-hanging fruits. Currently, our lab supports a diverse group of researchers, including five undergraduate students, two PhD students, and one postdoc. We believe that a diverse team, representing a wide spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives, leads to more innovative work, thereby contributing to the broadening of participation of underrepresented groups in the scientific community and society as a whole.
Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):
Please add any additional information here (if applicable):
Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable? No
Roundtable times and Zoom links
Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation Yes
Materials Grant Yes
UROP Poster Presentation Yes
Year 2025
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