Jeff Martin

My research interest lies in developing algorithms to solve problems in computational biology. Many current approaches rely on stochastic algorithms and sampling, but these techniques make few (if any) guarantees about the accuracy of the solution. My goal is to design and implement algorithms that provide guarantees on running time and the accuracy of the solution.

My research is currently focused on developing algorithms to determine structures of symmetric homo-oligomeric proteins by analyzing Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) data such as NOEs (due to the Nuclear Overhauser Effect) and Residual Dipolar Coupligs (RDCs). By exploiting symmetry in the protein (specifically, cyclical and dihedral symmetry), we approach the structure determination problem using a configuration space framework which allows us to search for solutions using systematic techniques.