Steve Whitelam

Staff Scientist
Theory of Nanostructured Materials Facility, Molecular Foundry

(510) 495-2769
SWhitelam@lbl.gov


2004 Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, Linacre College, University of Oxford. Supervised by Juan P. Garrahan and David Sherrington

2001 MPhys, Trinity College, University of Oxford

Open Postdoctoral position

We invite applicants for a postdoctoral position to study bacterial S-layer crystallization dynamics. Details can be found here here.

Research Interests

I apply models and methods based on statistical mechanics to soft matter systems. My current work concerns the crystallization of S-layer proteins (with Jim DeYoreo, Carolyn Bertozzi, Sungwook Chung and Seong-Ho Shin, Molecular Foundry); the self-assembly of bio-inspired polymers called peptoids (with Dina Mirijanian, Ron Zuckermann and Paul Ashby, Molecular Foundry, and Jeremy Schmit, UCSF) and of functionalized colloids (with Stefan Bon, Warwick University, UK); the mechanical behavior of DNA-protein complexes (with Rob Lowe, Cambridge University); and the role of microscopic reversibility in self-assembly (with Rob Jack, Bath University).

Publications

  1. Self-assembly of amphiphilic peanut-shaped nanoparticles, S. Whitelam and S.A.F. Bon, arXiv:0907.3227 (2009).
  2. Transformation from spots to waves in a model of actin pattern formation, S. Whitelam, T. Bretschneider and N.J. Burroughs, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 198103 (2009).
  3. The impact of conformational fuctuations on self-assembly: Cooperative aggregation of archaeal chaperonin proteins, S. Whitelam, C. Rogers, A. Pasqua, C. Paavola, J. Trent and P. L. Geissler, Nano Letters, 9, p. 292-297 (2009).
  4. Stretching chimeric DNA: a test for the putative S-form, S. Whitelam, S. Pronk and P.L. Geissler, J. Chem. Phys. 129, 205101 (2008).
  5. The role of collective motion in examples of coarsening and self-assembly, S. Whitelam, E. H. Feng, M. F. Hagan, P. L. Geissler, Soft Matter 5, 6, p1251 (2009).
  6. There and (slowly) back again: Entropy-driven hysteresis in a model of DNA overstretching, S. Whitelam, S. Pronk and P.L. Geissler, Biophys. J. 94, 2452 (2008).
  7. Avoiding unphysical kinetic traps in Monte Carlo simulations of strongly attractive particles, S. Whitelam and P.L. Geissler, J. Chem. Phys. 127, 1 (2007).
  8. Two-stage coarsening mechanism in a kinetically constrained model of an attractive colloid, S. Whitelam and P. L. Geissler, Phys. Rev. E 73, 016115 (2006).
  9. Renormalization group study of a kinetically constrained model for strong glasses, S. Whitelam, L. Berthier and J.P. Garrahan, Phys. Rev. E 71, 026128 (2005).
  10. Facilitated spin models in one dimension: a real-space renormalization group study, S. Whitelam and J.P. Garrahan, Phys. Rev. E 70, 046129 (2004).
  11. Geometrical picture of dynamical facilitation, S. Whitelam and J. P. Garrahan, J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 6611 (2004) (issue in honor of H.C. Andersen).
  12. Dynamic criticality in glass-forming liquids, S. Whitelam, L. Berthier and J. P. Garrahan, Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 185705 (2004).



Peanut-buffer sandwich

Previous Positions

2007-2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Systems Biology Centre, University of Warwick. Supervised by Nigel Burroughs

2004-2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley. Supervised by Phillip L. Geissler

Awards and honors

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