BML 7150 QUANTUM BIOTECHNOLOGY

Course structure

Course Structure

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class.

Assignments will include numerical problems, critiquing papers, and design-based questions, to be turned in 1 week after they are issued. Assignments in the class assume no prior programming knowledge.

The midterm exam will test students on topics covered in the first half of the semester.

The final exam will test students on topics covered over the entire duration of the semester (i.e. including the first half).

A final presentation will consist of a 20-minute-long talk, presented on a research article. The paper must be pre-approved by the course instructor at least one week in advance and must have been published in a quality journal. The presentation itself will be followed by ten minutes of questions from the audience and the course instructor. Students will be graded based on their understanding of the material, the difficulty of the material, and their overall explanation of the topics covered in the paper.

Course Grading Policy

Contribution to final grade

Attendance 10%

Assignments (x4) 5% each, 20% total

Midterm exam 20%

Final presentation 10%

Final exam 40%

NOTE: Audit will be allowed only for students who attend 75% of class (as reflected in the Attendance Sheet at the end of the class).

References

The reference material will mainly include a combination of research and review articles. Examples are listed below.

1. Scholes, G. D., Fleming, G. R., Olaya-Castro, A. & van Grondelle, R. Lessons from nature about solar light harvesting. Nature Chemistry 3, 763-774, doi:10.1038/nchem.1145 (2011).

2. Scholes, G. D. A molecular perspective on quantum information. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 479, 20230599, doi:doi:10.1098/rspa.2023.0599 (2023).

3. Winkler, J. R., Gray, H.B., Prytkova, T.R., Kurnikov, I.V. and Beratan, D.N. . in Bioelectronics     15-33 (2005).

4. Hardin, B. E., Snaith, H. J. & McGehee, M. D. The renaissance of dye-sensitized solar cells. Nature Photonics 6, 162-169, doi:10.1038/nphoton.2012.22 (2012).

5. Xu, J. et al. Magnetic sensitivity of cryptochrome 4 from a migratory songbird. Nature 594, 535-540, doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03618-9 (2021).

6. Hore, P. J. & Mouritsen, H. The Radical-Pair Mechanism of Magnetoreception. Annu Rev Biophys 45, 299-344, doi:10.1146/annurev-biophys-032116-094545 (2016).

7.  Turin, L. A Spectroscopic Mechanism for Primary Olfactory Reception. Chemical Senses 21, 773-791, doi:10.1093/chemse/21.6.773 (1996).

8.  Scully, M. O. & Svidzinsky, A. A. The Super of Superradiance. Science 325, 1510-1511, doi:doi:10.1126/science.1176695 (2009).

9. Proppe, A. H. et al. Bioinspiration in light harvesting and catalysis. Nature Reviews Materials 5, 828-846, doi:10.1038/s41578-020-0222-0 (2020).

10. Schrodinger, E. What is life?: With mind and matter and autobiographical sketches.  (Cambridge university press, 2012).

11. Premi, S. et al. Chemiexcitation of melanin derivatives induces DNA photoproducts long after UV exposure. Science 347, 842-847, doi:10.1126/science.1256022 (2015).

12. Idris, N. M. et al. In vivo photodynamic therapy using upconversion nanoparticles as remote-controlled nanotransducers. Nature medicine 18, 1580-1585 (2012).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to have a strong mathematics background for this course?

Although the answer to the above questions is 'no', an open-minded approach to learning fundamental mathematics (at the standard 11/12 level) is required. Previous experience with matrices, curve-fitting and the fundamentals of calculus will help greatly, but are not essential to the course. These topics can be learned as one makes progress.

Do I need to have programming/coding experience before I start this course?

The ability to write basic code in MATLAB or MS Excel (for example, for-loops) will help but is not essential. Assignments assume no prior programming knowledge.

Do I need to have experience with quantum mechanics or quantum chemistry before I start this course?

Familiarity with quantum mechanics and chemistry will help, but is is not essential.

Do I require a biology background for the class? Should I already have taken biology at the undergraduate (or even high school) level?

Familiarity with basic biochemistry (again, at the standard 11/12 level), including that relating to DNA, the cell membrane and other intracellular structures will help, but is not essential.

Statement on student responsibilities and academic integrity: ​ Students are expected to uphold the policies of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi with regards to academic integrity. All forms of dishonesty are unacceptable at the Institute, and in this course. Any offence will be reported to the Dean (Student Affairs) who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. You are warned that education and careers can be ​permanently ruined by making a mistake. Avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Please take care not to ever put yourself in a position where you could even be ​suspected of cheating.

Statement on Academic Integrity

Students are expected to uphold the policies of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi with regards to academic integrity. All forms of dishonesty (for example, cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts, and/or participation in an offense) are unacceptable at the Institute, and in this course. Any offense will be reported to the Dean (Student Affairs), who will determine the disciplinary action to be taken. Take care to avoid actions that look dubious and lead to questions about your integrity.