PhD Defenses

Fall 2025

MS Defenses and Final Presentations

Fall 2025

Thursday, December 4, 2025
4:00 pm | Rockefeller 304
Student: Yinhui Liu
Advisor: Peter Thomas
Title: On the Effects of Molecular Fluctuations on Digital Logic Circuits Engineered from Genetic Regulatory Systems
Abstract: Recent efforts in synthetic biology have implemented elements of digital logic circuits such as logical negation, logical NOR, and set-reset latch in genetic circuits in genetically engineered bacteria. In this thesis, we consider the effects of molecular fluctuations arising from small copy numbers of the DNA, RNA, and proteins constituting these circuits. We use stochastic simulation methods to investigate the behavior of model systems representing logical negation, logical NOR, and set-reset latch. We study the effects of noise on the performance of these systems using a combination of information theory measures and first-passage time distributions. We conclude that it may be important to take stochastic effects into account when designing synthetic genetic circuits.

Archived Student Presenations