Research Description
Active matter is an emerging frontier of non-equilibrium physics. Sebastian Streichan investigates the physics of self-organization in living systems, with a focus on how mechanical stress and cellular interactions generate structure and function across scales. His group develops novel experimental platforms inspired by the dynamic shape changes of developing embryos, such as the fruit fly or zebrafish. Quantitative data analysis decodes how feedback mechanisms govern active matter processes. By integrating living cells into their research program, Streichan aims to construct controllable, spatiotemporally structured active matter in the lab. These reconstituted tissues provide a powerful setting to uncover new principles in soft condensed matter physics, bridging the gap between emergent phenomena and their physical underpinnings.
Research Impact
Professor Streichan’s research advances the study of structured active matter by bridging theories of cell fate and morphogenesis through experimental insight. By synthesizing shape-shifting systems from living cells and encoding structure in initial conditions, his work opens new avenues for understanding how living matter organizes its constituents to establish regular assemblies of cells. These efforts offer fresh perspectives on many-body physics and provide a foundation for exploring how feedback mechanisms are used to control entropy, energy, and information flow in soft, dynamic systems — impacting fields from biophysics to materials science.
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related links
Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative
Science
University of California, Santa Barbara Department of Physics
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