Professor Mikko Karttunen (PhD, Physics)
Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Affiliate of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Email: mikko.karttunen [at] uwaterloo.ca. Group web: www.softsimu.org
Funding and Support:
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Discovery Grants
- Discovery Accelerator Award Program
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Brief CV {click to expand/contract}
Stats based on Web of Science and Scopus:
>130 peer reviewed articles
H-index: 32, i10-index: 78, ~3200 citations
Current:
Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, U of Waterloo
Adjunct Professor, Applied Mathematics, U Western Ontario
Adjunct Professor, Inst. of Physics, Tampere U of Tech, FIN
Prior:
Assoc. Prof: Dept. of Applied Mathematics, U Western Ontario
Assist. Prof: Dept. of Applied Mathematics, U Western Ontario
Director of the Grad Program in Scientific Computing, U Western Ontario
Academy of Finland Research Fellow 2003-2005
Biophysics group leader and senior researcher, Helsinki Univ of Tech, FIN
Postdoc: Max Planck Inst. for Polymer Research, Mainz, GER
Education:
PhD: Dept. of Physics, McGill Univ, Montreal, CAN, 1999
MSc: Dept. of Eng. Physics, Tampere Univ of Tech, FIN
Honors, Awards, etc:
NSERC Discovery Accelarator Supplement Award -09
Faculty of Science Distinguished Research Professor -09--10
Ontario Early Researcher Award 2008
Visiting scholar: U of Santiago de Chile, Chile; Hokkaido Univ, Japan; Fudan Univ, Shanghai, China
Helsinki University of Technology Young Center of Excellence Award 2004-05
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On the web: Twitter, FB, publications, etc
At this web site:
Our group web: www.softsimu.org
Elsewhere on the Internet:
My group @ twitter
My group @ Facebook
Mikko @ Research Gate
Mikko @ Google Scholar
Mikko @ LinkedIn
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Contact
Prof. Mikko Karttunen
200 University Avenue West
N2L 3G1
mikko.karttunen [at] uwaterloo.ca
Tel: +1-519-888-4567 ext. 31390
Fax: +1-519-746-0435
Room: C2-263 [Building: Chemistry 2]
Our building is marked as C2 in the map below
Visitor parking is marked with green circles
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Study / work / visit / collaborate
For contact information, see 'Contact' above
Current Studentship & PDF ads: here
Collaboration / joint grants:
Email or call me. Most of my work is done in collaboration with experimental groups.
Postdoctoral fellowships:
Even if nothing is announced (above link) you can always ask me.
Grad studentships:
I am always looking for outstanding grad students.
Summer students / undergrad projects:
I typically offer summer studentships (NSERC USRA encouraged) every year. Apply early!
Visitors (students/fellows):
My group has hosted extended stays by visitors from ~10 countries over the years. If interested, please contact me early.
Welcome to my web space. I lead a computational biological & soft matter group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
My research geared towards the interface between materials science, biology & biomedical sciences. I am interested in problems such as lipid diffusion, sterols, bacterial toxins, membrane proteins, antibiotics, translocation of DNA, peptides and sugars. I am also working on magentic materials, pattern formation and non-equilibrium dynamics. Typically, I employ theory and large scale computer simulations.
Most projects are done in collaboration with experimental groups.That provides a fruitful setting benefiting both sides, forces one to think in a new way, and is fun! If you are interested in a collaboration, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Another stream is the self-assembly of nanoparticles and colloids & their separation using electrokinetics, such as dielectrophoresis and electrorotation. Applications include separation healthy cells from, say, cancerous ones. Electrokinetic methods can be used to aid transport and assembly of nanomachines.
On the methodological side, I focus on multiscale modeling and systematic coarse-graing. Current work involves dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), deriving interactions from atomistic molecular dynamics data, and analytical methods. Our latest additions are GPU computing and QM/MM modeling of biosensors.
On the more personal side, I enjoy photography, cooking, running, hiking and biking.
Misc in different languages:
In Finnish: Huippututkijat karkaavat Pohjois-Amerikan yliopistoihin, Helsingin Sanomat, Vieraskynä 18.4. 2008.
Cellular membranes and computational modeling, CSC News, 2/2007. Life on a raft floating on a sea of maple syrup
Interview in Western News, Nov. 2006: Applied math rubs up against biology
In Finnish: Biological physics researchers are modeling cells using computers. Interview of Mikko Karttunen & Ilpo Vattulainen, Polysteekki.
In Finnish: Biologisen fysiikan tutkimus kärkkyy maailman kärkeen. Tekniikka ja Talous,Feb. 26, 2004.
In Finnish: Modeling biological systems, Mikko Karttunen and Ilpo Vattulainen. Tietoyhteys.
In Finnish: Booze on cellular membranes - computer simulations of alcohols on cellular membranes, Mikko Karttunen and Ilpo Vattulainen. ScienceThursday May 2004.
Radio interview by the Finnish Broadcasting Company's (YLE Radio 1) program ``Radiaattori''. Weekly program covering topics in to natural sciences and technology,