Check out our latest work! We combine theory and experiments to study dynamic pattern formation in a minimal system, consisting of lipid kinase MavQ, phosphatase SidP, and their lipid substrates.

Beatrice Ramm@beatriceramm.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A minimal lipid kinase/phosphatase system, two effector proteins from Legionella pneumophila, self-organizes together with its lipid substrates (PI/PI3P) into dynamic patterns on membranes. Check out our preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Check out our latest work @prxlife.bsky.social! We present a theory that describes how mobile tethers (membrane proteins and specific lipids) affect condensate-membrane interaction, which should be relevant in a lot of biological processes. go.aps.org/3PGNpEQ

Membrane-Anchored Mobile Tethers Modulate Condensate Wetting, Localization, and Migration

Mobile membrane tethers dynamically alter wetting properties, driving the localization and organization of biomolecular condensates along complex cellular membrane geometries.

go.aps.org

Check out our latest work! A close theory-experiment collaboration (with @brangwynnelab.bsky.social) deciphering ribosome biogenesis bottlenecks in cancer cells and leveraging it to identify specific targets to reduce tumor growth. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We have postdoc openings for data-driven modeling and information flows in living systems, with a focus on embryonic development. mattiaserra.com Requirements: PhD in Physics, Applied Math, or similar; prior exposure to biological data preferred. Please share with potential candidates. Thank you!

Maybe I should tweet here too. Out yesterday is my first ever experimental paper, on a novel model organism... arxiv.org/abs/2604.00453

Really excited that this major work from my PhD is finally published in @plosbiology.org ! In it, we were trying to tackle a fundamental question in evolution - how do genetic mutations map onto evolutionary fitness? (1/n) journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Genotype-fitness mapping of adaptive mutants reveals shifting low-dimensional structure across divergent environments

Predicting the effect of a genetic mutation on fitness is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. This study uses fitness effects of a large collection of adaptive yeast mutants in multiple lab env...

journals.plos.org

Check out our newest paper from the great @jbotello.bsky.social . Such an awesome discovery that the ribosome population undergoes molecular aging!!!!

Jordy F. Botello@jbotello.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Some molecular machines, like ribosomes, can persist for long periods of time in cells. Could molecular aging of ribosomes shape how proteins are made? In our new preprint we track ribosomes as they age in cells and uncover unexpected effects on translation (1/10) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Excited to hear all the interesting talks at our cellular signaling session next week in Denver (2 full sessions)! Thank you to everyone who submitted abstracts!

Qiwei Yu@qiweiyu.bsky.social · last yr.

For the 2026 APS March Meeting, please consider submitting your abstract to our new focus session on Cellular Sensing and Signaling (04.01.29), which aims to bridge theory and experiments to understand how cells sense and respond to environmental signals.

Excited to share our latest preprint on pattern formation in chemotactic active matter 🌊 arxiv.org/abs/2603.02595 Led by Hongbo Zhao and jointly with Sujit Datta and Andrej Košmrlj. We combined an arsenal of analytical and numerical tools to study these amazing patterns due to MIPS and chemotaxis 🌀

New preprint! We show how mesoscopic nonequilibrium fluctuations in active gels emerge from the breaking of detailed balance at the molecular scale. Warning: Long technical paper ahead! Enjoy! @mpipks.bsky.social @ub.edu @ubics.bsky.social @icreacommunity.bsky.social arxiv.org/abs/2601.20483

Last call for postdoctoral applications to join my group at University of Toronto. Feel free to reach out if you want to learn more about the position.

David Hathcock@davidhathcock.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Postdoctoral Job Opportunity! I am hiring a postdoc to join my group next fall. Many possible research directions in theoretical biophysics and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. See the posting linked below for details — apply by Jan 15th for full consideration.

Postdoctoral Job Opportunity! I am hiring a postdoc to join my group next fall. Many possible research directions in theoretical biophysics and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. See the posting linked below for details — apply by Jan 15th for full consideration.

My amazing collaborator David Hathcock is starting a statistical biophysics research group at University of Toronto. Check out his website for exciting PhD and postdoc openings!

David Hathcock@davidhathcock.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Very excited to share some life updates: in summer 2026 I will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Physics at University of Toronto! My group will study a range of problems in biophysics using nonequilibrium statistical mechanics—cellular signaling and adaptation, gene regulation, etc.

Excited to share a new preprint! With @jiexiaolab.bsky.social, we investigated the impact of topological domain formation on the coupling between neighboring genes and the resulting transcription processes.

Chromosomal Topological Domain Formation Modulates Transcription and the Coupling of Neighboring Genes in Escherichia coli

Chromosomal topology and transcription are tightly coupled, yet the quantitative impact of topological constraints on transcription, supercoiling, and the potential coupling between neighboring genes ...

biorxiv.org

As the march meeting abstract deadline approaches, please check out our session! Please RT/forward

Qiwei Yu@qiweiyu.bsky.social · last yr.

For the 2026 APS March Meeting, please consider submitting your abstract to our new focus session on Cellular Sensing and Signaling (04.01.29), which aims to bridge theory and experiments to understand how cells sense and respond to environmental signals.

For the 2026 APS March Meeting, please consider submitting your abstract to our new focus session on Cellular Sensing and Signaling (04.01.29), which aims to bridge theory and experiments to understand how cells sense and respond to environmental signals.

📸 Image of the month: August! This month we are excited to feature “𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬” by Yu et al. Learn more about their exciting research here: qiweiyuu.github.io 🔗 (paper): doi.org/10.1039/D5SM... (1/4)

Now out in Physical Review Letters: work led by Andrew Pyo showing that the accumulation of beneficial mutations can be greatly accelerated by a mutation rate that decreases with increasing relative fitness. journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...

Nature research paper: Mapping and engineering RNA-driven architecture of the multiphase nucleolus https://go.nature.com/44Tib11

Mapping and engineering RNA-driven architecture of the multiphase nucleolus - Nature

Spatially segregated rRNA processing dictates nucleolar morphology and drives outward progression of pre-ribosomal RNA through nucleolar phases.

go.nature.com

Combining sequencing and imaging, @brangwynnelab.bsky.social maps the spatiotemporal dynamics of rRNA processing, demonstrating how rRNA serves as both a scaffold and a substrate for the nucleolus—a multiphase, liquid-like structure. 🧪 🧬

Mapping and engineering RNA-driven architecture of the multiphase nucleolus - Nature

Spatially segregated rRNA processing dictates nucleolar morphology and drives outward progression of pre-ribosomal RNA through nucleolar phases.

nature.com

Apply now to be a CPBF Fellow in 2026! puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

Our recent work (elifesciences.org/articles/104...) combines theory and experiments (by Alex Papagiannakis and Christine Jacobs-Wagner) to understand how chromosome segregation is coupled to growth in E coli. We demonstrate that the nonequilibrium dynamics of polysomes may play a key role.

Living systems operate nonequilibrium processes across many scales in space and time. Is there a model-free way to bridge the descriptions at different levels of coarse-graining? Here we find that preserving the evidence of time-reversal symmetry breaking works remarkably well!

Christopher W. Lynn@chriswlynn.bsky.social · last yr.

Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals. Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social‬ and @mleighton.bsky.social‬, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵 arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909

Biology consumes energy at the microscale to power functions across all scales: From proteins and cells to entire populations of animals. Led by @qiweiyu.bsky.social‬ and @mleighton.bsky.social‬, we study how coarse-graining can help to bridge this gap 👇🧵 arxiv.org/abs/2506.01909

Postdoc opportunity! Join us in heavenly Vancouver (Canada) to develop fundamental nonequilibrium stat mech, thermo, and info theory applied to biomolecular machines and in close collaboration with experiment. Details: www.sfu.ca/physics/siva...

Our work on lipid domain pattern formation is now published in Soft Matter as part of the themed collection "Pioneering Investigators": pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a... Grateful for my advisor Andrej Košmrlj for his mentorship, and for our collaborators for teaching us a lot about membranes!

Excited to be at @apsphysics.bsky.social March meeting this week. Check out the following talks from my collaborators and me!