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Anthony Nicholls (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Nicholls is a physicist
and entrepreneur
from Plymouth, England.
at Oxford
before joining the Institute for Molecular Biophysics
at Florida State University
. There he studied quantum
dispersion of excitations in biological systems with William Rhodes and football with Bobby Bowden
. He earned his Ph.D.
in biophysics
in 1988 and began a post-doc with Barry Honig at Columbia University
, New York
.
applications.
While at Columbia University
, he re-wrote the electrostatics
program known as DelPhi
. DelPhi took input from a coordinate file format of a molecule and calculated the electrostatic potential in and around the system, using a finite difference solution to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation
.
Nicholls later wrote the graphics software GRASP
. GRASP was graphics program written for Silicon Graphics
computers that was used by the structural biology
community to visualize macromolecules. It was most widely used software for computing and displaying polyhedral molecular surfaces during the 1990s.
. As a result, Nicholls consulted with David Weininger
, and decided in 1997 to found OpenEye
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nicholls has also been referred to as the "Steve Jobs
of the Info Mesa
" in regard to his work at OpenEye
. OpenEye has employed a number of notable people in cheminformatics, including Roger Sayle, developer of RasMol
.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
from Plymouth, England.
Education
Nicholls first studied PhysicsPhysics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
before joining the Institute for Molecular Biophysics
Molecular biophysics
Molecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology...
at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. There he studied quantum
Quantum
In physics, a quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction. Behind this, one finds the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantized," referred to as "the hypothesis of quantization". This means that the magnitude can take on only certain discrete...
dispersion of excitations in biological systems with William Rhodes and football with Bobby Bowden
Bobby Bowden
Robert Cleckler "Bobby" Bowden is a retired college football coach. He coached the Florida State Seminoles football team from the 1976 to 2009 seasons...
. He earned his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
in 1988 and began a post-doc with Barry Honig at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Software Development
Nicholls has largely worked in molecular biophysics, designing software that is used in drug discoveryDrug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
applications.
While at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, he re-wrote the electrostatics
Electrostatics
Electrostatics is the branch of physics that deals with the phenomena and properties of stationary or slow-moving electric charges....
program known as DelPhi
DelPhi (software)
DelPhi is a scientific application which calculates electrostatic potential and energies in systems of biomolecules and geometrical objects. One of the main problems in modeling the electrostatic potential of biological macromolecules is that they exist in water at a given ionic strength and that...
. DelPhi took input from a coordinate file format of a molecule and calculated the electrostatic potential in and around the system, using a finite difference solution to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation
Poisson-Boltzmann equation
The Poisson–Boltzmann equation is a differential equation that describes electrostatic interactions between molecules in ionic solutions. It is the mathematical base for the Gouy–Chapman double layer theory; first proposed by Gouy in 1910 and complemented by Chapman in 1913...
.
Nicholls later wrote the graphics software GRASP
Graphical Representation and Analysis of Structural Properties
GRASP is a graphics program written for silicon graphics computers that is widely used by the structural biology community to visualize macromolecules....
. GRASP was graphics program written for Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics
Silicon Graphics, Inc. was a manufacturer of high-performance computing solutions, including computer hardware and software, founded in 1981 by Jim Clark...
computers that was used by the structural biology
Structural biology
Structural biology is a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids, how they acquire the structures they have, and how alterations in their structures affect their function...
community to visualize macromolecules. It was most widely used software for computing and displaying polyhedral molecular surfaces during the 1990s.
Business
Work conducted on DelPhi and GRASP continues to be the intellectual property of Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. As a result, Nicholls consulted with David Weininger
David Weininger
David Weininger is a chemist and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Daylight Chemical Information Systems, a company in Santa Fe, New Mexico that does rapid analysis of massive chemical databases. Weininger is the inventor of Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry Specification , a universal...
, and decided in 1997 to found OpenEye
OpenEye Scientific Software
OpenEye Scientific Software develops large-scale molecular modeling applications and toolkits.-Scope:Primarily geared towards drug discovery and design, areas of application include structure generation, docking, shape comparison, charge/electrostatics, cheminformatics and visualization...
in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
Nicholls has also been referred to as the "Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
of the Info Mesa
Info Mesa
Info Mesa is the named coined by Ed Regis to describe the emerging technology companies and community in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The name was first used in an article in Wired Magazine in 2000 and later in a book by Regis published in 2003...
" in regard to his work at OpenEye
OpenEye Scientific Software
OpenEye Scientific Software develops large-scale molecular modeling applications and toolkits.-Scope:Primarily geared towards drug discovery and design, areas of application include structure generation, docking, shape comparison, charge/electrostatics, cheminformatics and visualization...
. OpenEye has employed a number of notable people in cheminformatics, including Roger Sayle, developer of RasMol
RasMol
RasMol is a computer program written for molecular graphics visualization intended and used primarily for the depiction and exploration of biological macromolecule structures, such as those found in the Protein Data Bank...
.