Editors for Physics of Living Systems

We aim to review studies in which experimental, theoretical, and computational approaches, rooted in the physical sciences, are developed and/or applied to provide deep insights into the collective properties and function of multicomponent biological systems and processes. We also welcome descriptions of methods that could enable the interrogation of classes of biological systems in new ways, as well as interdisciplinary studies that bring together scientists and approaches from the physical and life sciences. Read the latest research in this subject area.

Type

All sections

Senior editors

Naama Barkai

Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Naama Barkai is a systems and computational biologist interested in how bio-molecular circuits are designed. She joined the Weizmann Institute in 1999, following a post-doc (Princeton) and graduate studies (Hebrew University) in physics. She is currently chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics, and the head of the Azrieli and Kahan Centers for Systems Biology at the Weizmann Institute. In 2013, Barkai was elected to a Vallee Foundation Visiting Professorship and awarded the Abisch Frankel prize.

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Genetics and Genomics

Research focus
systems biology
modeling
functional genomics
yeast genetics
morphogen gradients

Competing interests statement
Naama Barkai's main funding sources are from the European Research Council (ERC), the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Minerva, and the Bi-national Science Foundation (BSF). Barkai also serves on the editorial board of Development.
Aleksandra Walczak

Ecole Normale Superieure, France

Aleksandra Walczak received her PhD in physics at UCSD working on models of stochastic gene expression. After a graduate fellowship at KITP, she was a Princeton Center for Theoretical Science Fellow, focusing on applying information theory to signal processing in small gene regulatory networks. Currently she is a CNRS researcher at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, interested in a variety of problems in the physics of living systems.

She actively works on development, collective behavior of bird flocks and statistical descriptions of the immune system.

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Immunology and Inflammation
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
biophysics
quantitative immunology
probabilistic data analysis
theoretical models
development
collective behaviour

Competing interests statement
Aleksandra Walczak is the recipient of a CNRS-Chicago Cooperation Grant, a FACCTS CNRS-Chicago Cooperation Grant, an IRN CNRS Predictability, Adaptability Evolution network collaboration grant, a CNRS-MIT Cooperation Grant, a q-Life Grant "The physics of repair and silencing foci?, an ERC Proof of Concept Grant "Automated evaluation and correction of generation bias in immune receptor repertoires", a DFG CRC "Predictability in evolution", an ERC International Training Network QuanTII grant, and an ERC Consolidator Grant "Statistical physics of immune-viral co-evolution”.

Reviewing editors

Toby W Allen

RMIT University, Australia

Expertise
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Physics of Living Systems
Neuroscience

Research focus
computational biophysics
molecular dynamics
free-energy calculations
ion channels
ion permeation
membranes
Ariel Amir

Harvard University, United States

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
mathematical modeling
stochastic processes
microbial growth
cell size control
gene expression
microbial evolution
phenotypic variability
Nathalie Q Balaban

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
self-replicating matter
Patricia Bassereau

Institut Curie, France

Expertise
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Research focus
physics of cells
membrane biophysics
mechanobiology
intracellular traffic
endocytosis
adhesion
cellular protrusions
biomimetic membranes
Kurt Beam

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, United States

Expertise
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle
voltage-gated calcium channels
calcium release channels
Gordon Berman

Emory University, United States

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
animal behavior
theoretical biophysics
computational neuroscience
computational ethology

Experimental organism
D. melanogaster
mouse
rat
Anne-Florence Bitbol

Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne , Switzerland

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems
Computational and Systems Biology

Research focus
biophysics
theory and modeling
protein sequence data
models of evolution
Felix Campelo

The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Spain

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems
Cell Biology
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Research focus
membrane mechanics
membrane curvature
intracellular trafficking
membrane organization
membrane contact sites
Golgi complex
endoplasmic reticulum exit sites
super-resolution microscopy
single-molecule microscopy

Experimental organism
human
S. cerevisiae
Irene Giardina

Università Sapienza, Italy

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
active living matter
collective behavior in groups (physicist perspective)s
Raymond E Goldstein

University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
Biological physics
fluid dynamics
multicellularity
developmental biology

Experimental organism
Chlamydomonas
volvox
choanoflagellates
dinoflagellates
Martin Graña

Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Computational and Systems Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Research focus
protein 3D structure
structural bioinformatics
structure/function relationships
evolution
Yaroslav Ispolatov

Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
evolution
diversification
adaptive dynamics
ecology
systems biology
CRISPR
Megan C King

Yale School of Medicine, United States

Expertise
Cell Biology
Chromosomes and Gene Expression
Genetics and Genomics
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
nuclear envelope
nuclear lamins
LINC complex
nuclear mechanics
DNA repair
genome organisation

Experimental organism
mouse
Michael Kozlov

Tel Aviv University, Israel

Expertise
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
modeling membrane shapes
membrane curvature
membrane fusion
membrane fission
membrane bending by proteins
David M Kramer

Michigan State University, United States

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Plant Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Computational and Systems Biology

Research focus
photosynthesis
bioenergetics
electron and proton transfer
computation
phenotyping
phenomics
Sandeep Krishna

National Centre for Biological Sciences ‐ Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems
Computational and Systems Biology

Research focus
gene regulatory networks
phage-bacteria interactions
microbial communities
multistability
oscillations and synchronization
Karsten Kruse

University of Geneva, Switzerland

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
cell migration
cell signalling
theoretical biology
molecular evolution
Melike Lakadamyali

University of Pennsylvania, United States

Expertise
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
super resolution microscopy
imaging
image analysis
chromatin structure
genome organisation
organelle trafficking
motor proteins
microtubule cytoskeleton

Experimental organism
human
mouse
David Lentink

University of Groningen, Netherlands

Expertise
Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
animal locomotion
comparative biomechanics
animal navigation
movement ecology
evolutionary biology
biofluids
biophysics
bioinspired robotics
bioinspiration & biomimetics

Experimental organism
birds
insects
bats
plant seeds
fish
Matthieu Louis

University of California, Santa Barbara, United States

Expertise
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
olfaction
sensorimotor
computational ethology
motor control
locomotion
biomechanics
tool development

Experimental organism
D. melanogaster
C. elegans
Pascal Martin

Institut Curie, France

Expertise
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
active mechanical processes
hair cells of the inner ear
molecular motors and the cytoskeleton
oscillations
mechanosensitivity
frequency selectivity
in vitro reconstituted motor systems

Experimental organism
rat
Xenopus
Alphee Michelot

Institut de Biologie du Développement, France

Expertise
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
cytoskeleton
actin dynamics
motility
endocytosis
cytokinesis
actin mechanics
energy conversion
force transduction

Experimental organism
S. cerevisiae
Babak Momeni

Boston College, United States

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
microbial communities
community ecology
mathematical modelling
computational biology
applied microbiology
bioremediation
mycotoxins
nasal microbiota
Arvind Murugan

University of Chicago, United States

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
biological learning and adaptation in changing environments
learned behavious in materials
Marcos Nahmad

Centre for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Developmental Biology
Genetics and Genomics
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
growth control
drosophila genetics
developmental patterning
mathematical modelling
Richard A Neher

University of Basel, Switzerland

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Evolutionary Biology

Research focus
population genetics
evolution of RNA viruses
bioinformatics
Armita Nourmohammad

University of Washington, United States

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Immunology and Inflammation

Research focus
population genetics
computational immunology
adaptive immunity
statistical physics
deep mutational scanning
information theory
statistical inference
gene expression evolution

Experimental organism
D. melanogaster
human
viruses
Timothy O'Leary

Cambridge University, United Kingdom

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
computational neuroscience
theoretical neuroscience
neurophysiology
systems neuroscience
homeostasis

Experimental organism
mouse
rat
D. melanogaster
cancer borealis
C. Brandon Ogbunugafor

Yale University, United States

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Evolutionary Biology
Epidemiology and Global Health
Physics of Living Systems
Microbiology and Infectious Disease

Research focus
disease ecology
microbial evolution
population genetics
epidemiology
evolutionary medicine

Experimental organism
E. coli
human
P. falciparum
S. cerevisiae
viruses
Rohit V Pappu

Washington University in St Louis, United States

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
biophysics
intrinsically disordered proteins
intracellular phase transition phenomena
organization of proteins and nucleic acids
Benjamin L Prosser

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, United States

Expertise
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems
Chromosomes and Gene Expression

Research focus
cardiac function
muscle
cardiomyocytes
mechanotransduction
cytoskeleton
microtubules
sarcomere
Agnese Seminara

Université Côte d'Azur, France

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
biomechanics of bacterial biofilm growth
violent discharge
atmospheric dispersal of fungal spores
computational navigation

Experimental organism
B. subtilis
mouse
Pierre Sens

Institut Curie, France

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
statistical physics
soft matter
membrane
cell mechanics
cell motility
organelles
Daniel Y Takahashi

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Expertise
Computational and Systems Biology
Ecology
Neuroscience
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
social interaction
vocal learning
neurophysiology
computational modeling
ontogeny of behavior
David Van Valen

California Institute of Technology, United States

Expertise
Physics of Living Systems
Computational and Systems Biology

Research focus
encoding
viral decision making
living systems
image segmentation
Jie Xiao

Johns Hopkins University, United States

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Cell Biology
Chromosomes and Gene Expression
Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Physics of Living Systems
Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

Research focus
single molecule biophysics
microbiology
cell division
cell wall
gene expression

Experimental organism
E. coli
Gary Yellen

Harvard Medical School, United States

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Cell Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
neuronal metabolism
control of energy metabolism
fluorescent biosensors
metabolic control of excitability

Experimental organism
mouse
Ahmet Yildiz

University of California, Berkeley, United States

Expertise
Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
Physics of Living Systems

Research focus
dynein
kinesin
myosin
intraflagellar transport

Experimental organism
human
yeast
Chlamydomonas