Marian Manciu
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Associate Professor, Physics - Environmental Science and Engineering
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The main current focus of Dr. Manciu’s research is the development and application of advanced statistical methods, traditionally employed in statistical physics, for modelling and finding patterns / correlations in various systems. Some of the algorithms we developed and implemented are based on maximum entropy methods (maximum likelihood, expectation-maximization, total variation regularization, saddle point approximation and decomposition of the partition function). Other algorithms are closer related to BioStatistical methods: Multivariate Cox proportional-hazard analysis, Singular Value Decomposition dimensionality-reduction projection methods (related to principal, factor and cluster analysis) and fuzzy logic analysis of uncertain/noisy data.Dr. Manciu’s main expertise is in water-mediated macromolecular interactions. We developed statistical models for interactions between polar surfaces (proteins), between hydrophobic surfaces (lipids) and between grafted polymer brushes (biopolymers attached/adsorbed on surfaces).