Background and activities
Rita Dias graduated in Chemistry by the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, Portugal, with a B.Sc. in 1999 and completed a Ph.D. degree in Macromolecular Chemistry (thesis entitled "DNA-Surfactant Interactions") by the same institution in 2004, while holder of a grant from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT.
Rita Dias was awarded a Marie Curie Fellow within a MCRTN project and later a FCT scholarship to develop her post-doctoral work in the Division of Physical Chemistry of Lund University, Sweden.
In 2008 she returned to the University of Coimbra, as a Researcher (Investigador Auxiliar) at the Department of Chemistry within the FCT program Ciência 2007.
In 2012 she took up a position as an Associate Professor in the Physics Department in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Research Interests
- Control of DNA condensation using cationic surfactants and polyelectrolytes;
- Adsorption and compaction of macromolecules onto model lipid membranes. MC simulations;
- Nanoparticle - poly-acid interactions. MC simulations.
Scientific, academic and artistic work
A selection of recent journal publications, artistic productions, books, including book and report excerpts. See all publications in the database
Journal publications
- (2017) In vitro studies of DNA condensation by bridging protein in a crowding environment. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. vol. 103.
- (2017) Monte Carlo Simulations of Complexation between Weak Polyelectrolytes and a Charged Nanoparticle. Influence of Polyelectrolyte Chain Length and Concentration. Macromolecules. vol. 50 (15).
- (2016) Editorial Overview - Polynucleotides. Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science. vol. 26.
- (2015) Direct Determination of Chitosan–Mucin Interactions Using a Single-Molecule Strategy: Comparison to Alginate–Mucin Interactions. Polymers. vol. 7 (2).
- (2015) Combining polyethylenimine and Fe(III) for mediating pDNA transfection. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects. vol. 1850 (6).
- (2015) Synergistic role of DNA-binding protein and macromolecular crowding on DNA condensation. An experimental and theoretical approach. Journal of Molecular Liquids. vol. 210 (A Oct).
- (2014) DNA compaction induced by a cationic polymer or surfactant impact gene expression and DNA degradation. PLoS ONE. vol. 9 (3).
- (2014) Interpreting the rich behavior of ternary DNA-PEI-Fe(III) complexes. Biomacromolecules. vol. 15 (2).
- (2014) Complexes formed between DNA and poly(amido amine) dendrimers of different generations-modelling DNA wrapping and penetration. Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. vol. 16 (26).
- (2013) Ternary complexes DNA-polyethylenimine-Fe(III) with linear and branched polycations: implications on condensation, size, charge and in vitro biocompatibility. Soft Matter. vol. 9 (45).
Part of book/report
- (2014) Polyelectrolyte complexes. Bridging the ensemble average – single-molecule strategies. Polyelectrolytes. Thermodynamics and rheology.