Regarding the scientific part of the project, the researcher investigated transient effects in radiofrequency (RF) circuits of the NMR hardware and their influence on performance of experiments developed by means of optimal control. In the next step, a detailed analysis of RF field distribution in ssNMR probes was performed and found to have the major impact. A numerical optimization protocol was developed and applied to improve an experiment for magnetization transfer between nitrogen and carbon nuclei of a solid protein sample. The researcher contributed to ssNMR studies of proteins involving the latest ultrafast magic angle spinning experiments by performing novel large scale numerical simulations of proton spectra of a protein. This part of the project resulted in two scientific papers that are already published and two manuscripts that are in preparation.
During the secondment in a company manufacturing the NMR hardware, the researcher used numerical spin dynamics calculations to predict performance of ssNMR experiments on probeheads with different RF coil designs. These predictions are currently being tested in practice and, if successful, may result in a new product.
This Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship project also aims to promote the researcher’s carrier through enhancing his visibility within the research community. Besides participating on international scientific conferences, the researcher was invited as a lecturer to 2 international ssNMR schools and one workshop, involving together approximately 100 students.
