We bridge the gap between biology, engineering, and the physical sciences.

Typically, we start by collaborating with a biologist to investigate a physical phenomenon in a living system. Some examples include the cohesion of skin cells, the morphogenesis of a single-celled organism, or the colors of bird feathers.  We design quantitative experimental approaches to identify the underlying mechanisms.  When needed, we’ll develop novel experimental approaches.

If our data-driven hypothesis for the phenomenon suggests a new physical concept or a novel approach to materials design, we’ll challenge our ideas by creating synthetic analogues that recapitulate the biological phenomena.

The pursuit of these complementary threads of inquiry stimulates our creativity.  When all goes well, we not only achieve new biological insights, but also articulate new strategies for materials design or concepts in soft matter physics.

Selected current research themes

Living droplets

Biological cells can organize their biochemistry using membraneless organelles.  These biomolecular condensates are enriched in specific proteins and nucleic acids, and often behave like fluid droplets.  We investigate their physiology using experiments with live cells or minimal in vitro biochemical systems.

Controlling phase separation to make functional materials

In conventional self-assembly, the size and symmetry of a higher-order structure is determined by the size and symmetry of its building blocks. Birds and insects, however, feature photonic nanostructures built from macromolecules whose size is much smaller than their periodicity. We are developing new approaches to control the dimensions of phase-separated structures using the elasticity of polymer networks and lipid bilayer membranes.

Physics of soft and living interfaces

Living systems have exquisite control of wetting, adhesion, and other interfacial phenomena. Our interest in these topics originated from the phenomenon of cell adhesion, which distinguishes itself from conventional adhesion by its high degree of molecular specificity. We currently study the deformation of cytoskeletal filaments and phospholipid membranes by interfacial forces.