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Ard Louis

Ard Louis

Ard Louis (webpage) is a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, where he leads an interdisciplinary research group studying problems on the border between physics, chemistry, and biology. He has been a fellow at Hughes Hall, one of the constituent colleges of Cambridge University, since 1998, and is director of studies in Natural Sciences.

His current research interests include evolutionary "negative design" and the crystallisation of proteins, "positive design" and self assembly in biological systems, the "designability" of protein sequences and protein folding, the topology of sequence space, the evolution of evolvability, the effect of fluctuations on the efficiency of nano-machines, the transport of proteins through the nuclear pore complex, the combined effect of Brownian and hydrodynamic fluctuations on colloidal suspensions, nano-particle stabilisation of colloidal suspensions, formal aspects of coarse-graining in statistical mechanics.

Ard is the International Secretary for Christians in Science, an associate of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion and on the European board of advisors for the John Templeton Foundation.He is a member of the Cambridge Templeton Consortium for the Emergence of Biological Complexity, which is running a $3 million request for proposals, and is jointly responsible for the 'biochemistry and fine-tuning' programme. He regularly speaks on science/faith issues (in the USA for example at Urbana 2000 and Urbana 2003).

Ard was born in the Netherlands, but raised in Gabon, Central Africa, and maintains an active interest in international students and development issues. He is a faculty advisor for the Christian Graduate Society in Cambridge, and is actively involved in raising the profile of graduate student ministries across the UK, most recently in partnership with Friends International. He is also on the board of Arca Associates, an international development organisation.

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