Interactive Molecular Modelling in Virtual Reality

The work that the Glowacki lab has addressed concerns two main issues of VR: a lack of multi-user interaction and heavy processing requirements. Using remote cloud supercomputing facilities, his lab can access the processing power to model in real time incredibly complex mathematically systems, with the computational physics simulations performed off-site, thereby enabling multi-user interactions. The research that I am to conduct in Dr. Glowacki’s lab would involve extending already established real-time quantum mechanical simulations, which allows users to make/break bonds and also discover novel chemical reactions. Specifically, I will be enabling the VR code to render molecular orbitals and electronic densities in real-time simulations, so as to furnish chemists with new insights. This project relies on the processing power of the techniques Dr. Glowacki has developed and will benefit from the skills I aquired developing VR software. The expected outcome will be the development of effective visualizations and improved rendering of the reactions modeled.

Faculty Supervisor:

Yvonne Coady

Student:

Partner:

University of Bristol

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Technology; New and Digital Media; Education

University:

University of Victoria

Program: