Population-induced Phase Transitions and the Verification of Chemical Reaction Networks
Chemical reaction networks (CRNs) are an important paradigm for molecular computation and process control in the emerging field of DNA nanotechnology. To realize promising applications in safety-critical fields like medicine, we must develop robust methodologies for verifying the safety and correctness of designed CRNs. Current CRN verification techniques include model checking, stochastic and continuous simulation, and machine-checked mathematical proof construction. Model checking and simulation are comparatively straightforward, but subject to limitations on the scale of systems they can address; machine-checked proofs can handle systems at any scale, but can be challenging and time-consuming to create. In this talk, we present an overview of these methods and investigate an example CRN with a population-scale-induced phase transition to explore whether machine-checked mathematical proofs are a necessary component of CRN formal verification.
Bio: Hugh Potter is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in computer science with Profs. Jim Lathrop and Jack Lutz in Iowa State's Laboratory for Molecular Programming. He studied physics as an undergraduate at Grinnell College and as a doctoral student at Iowa State before moving to the computer science department. His interests include DNA nanotechnology, proof engineering, and game development.
WebEx: https://iastate.webex.com/iastate/j.php?MTID=m8c99867ba8ef099740d2ad4486e9b916