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Dr David Head

Title

Senior Translational Research Fellow (Oral Biofilm Modelling)

Email

d.head@leeds.ac.uk

Phone

0113 34(35767)

Address

EC Stoner Building (Room 723),

School of Computing,

University of Leeds,

Leeds LS2 9JT.

BHRC Role

STRF

Research Interests

biofilms
multidimensional biofilm modelling
active gels
biophysics

About

To date my research has involved generating and applying mathematical models to various physical and biological systems, typically employing numerical simulation but also pen-and-paper analysis where possible. This has included positions studying granular media and shear-thickening materials (Edinburgh University, UK), understanding the mechanical properties of the cellular cytoskeleton (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam), finite-element description of elastic polymer crusts and the dynamics of jamming (Tokyo University), and most recently investigating athermal fluctuations and self-organisation of biofilament-motor protein mixtures (Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany).

Now at Leeds, my translational research project is to develop a mathematical model for biofilms and find clinical applications in oral microbiology. Biofilms are sessile surface-associated microbial communities encapsulated within a polymeric matrix that they themselves produce, and represent the predominant state of bacteria in nature. Although often benign or commensal, biofilms can cause chronic infections such a cystic fibrosis, as well as dental problems such as caries (tooth decay) and periodontitis (gum disease). Understanding the interplay between interacting microbial species and the resultant effect on biofilm formation and stability is essential if effective preventative and therapeutic treatments are to be developed. Modelling can accelerate this process by providing a test bed for hypotheses and non-invasive measurement of quantities not accessible from experiments.

Collaboration

Ongoing collaborations:

Theoretical interpretation of microrheology experiments on active gels [with the lab of Daisuke Mizuno, Kyushu University, Kyushu, JAPAN.]
Microscopic modelling of active gels [with G. Gompper, Forschungszentrum Jülich, GERMANY and W. Briels, Universitait Twente, THE NETHERLANDS]

Older collaborations:

Christophe Schmidt, Göttingen, Germany.
Alex Levine, UCLA, US.
Fred MacKintosh, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mike Cates, Edinburgh, UK.
Tom Witten, Chicago, US.
Hajime Tanaka, Tokyo University, Japan.

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