Biological physics (also referred to as biophysics or the physics of living systems) takes a physicist's approach to understanding biological systems. Classical and quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics all apply as governing principles for the physics of life, spanning across molecular, cellular, organismic, and population scales. Research goals range from applied topics, such as building a device capable of sequencing proteins, measuring enzymatic activities at the molecular level, or investigating human brain activity, to basic research on statistical physics of sensing, adaptation, and evolution in biological systems, including regulation of protein expression levels within cells, and interaction between immune systems and pathogens. Our research groups are highly collaborative within the department and across campus.
Research Strengths
- Quantitative cell biology (Wiggins)
- Statistical physics of evolving systems (Nourmohammad)
- Nanopore sensing (Gundlach, Laszlo)
- Protein assembly and dynamics (Cheung)
- Magnetoencephalography (Taulu)
- Computational complexity in the brain (den Nijs)
