Biological Physics
Theory and Computation
Life IS Motion - whether it is molecules shuttling around cells or flocks of birds in the skies. We study transport- at levels ranging from the molecular to ecosystem with the appropriate theoretical and computational tools from a variety of areas in biophysics, soft matter physics and statistical mechanics.
We are interested in how reliability and robustness of transport arise in typical biological contexts with high noise and variability and whether we can our insights to control or optimize transport or even mimic it artificially.
We are also very interested in the structure, mechanics and function of bio-polymers with a special focus on how disorder and chirality produce function, especially in the context of gating or facilitating transport, producing forces or templating growth and mechanical processes in cells.
LATEST NEWS:
Katie Copenhagen defends her thesis! Congrats Dr. Copenhagen! (August 2017)
David Ando's paper on cooperativity in the Yeast NPC appears in PloS ONE!
Bryan Maelfeyt passes his quals and advances to candidacy! Congrats Bryan!
Our paper on optimizing stem cell differentiation with the McCloskey group appears in PLoS One.
Katie Copenhagen is awarded a Dean's Distinguished Fellowship for Spring 2017! Congrats Katie!
Our paper on " Biopolymers on Curved Surfaces" appears in Biophysical Journal (Oct. 2016)
NSF Grant on "Modeling Transport in Complex Intracellular Environments" is funded!
Katie and David Q's paper on self-organization in behaviorally heterogeneous swarms appears in Scientific Reports.
Our Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines (CCBM) is funded by NSF for 5 years and $5 million! AG and Victor Munoz (BioE) will serve as co-directors. [UCM story] [Merced Sun Star story]
2 papers in collaboration with Jing Xu's group appear in Biophysical Journal (June 2016)
Katie Copenhagen's paper on active matter clusters at interfaces appears in Frontiers in Materials (February 2016)
Katie Copenhagen is selected for a talk at Dynamics Days 2016. Congrats Katie!
EARLIER HIGHLIGHTS:
David Ando's paper on cytoskeletal network morphology regulating intracellular transport is on the cover of Biophysical Journal (Oct. 2015) [free to access paper]
David Ando starts as a postdoc at Berkeley Lab! Congrats and good luck David! (October 2015)
David Ando defends his thesis! (July 2015)
NSF grant on "Infant Vocalizations as Foraging" is funded (July 2015)
Aspen TV interview on "The Physics of Flocking and Swarming"
AG has been named a Scialog Fellow by the Research Corporation and Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation (July 2014)
