Center for the Physics of Biological Function | an NSF Physics Frontier Center

The Center for the Physics of Biological Function (CPBF), a joint effort between Princeton University and The Graduate Center at CUNY. We are a collection of scientists working at the interface of physics and biology with the goal of creating a physicist’s understanding of living systems: a physics of biological function that connects the myriad details of life, across all scales, to fundamental and universal physical principles. Our center focuses on new scientific opportunities and educational programs, integrating theory and experiment, research and education.

Research

Phase-separated liquid droplets (red) formed in a crosslinked chromatin network (white). Mechanical interactions with chromatin determine the size of droplets

Understanding the phenomena of life means understanding the emergence and integration of essential biological functions. 

Explore our Research

Education

Two students looking through slides

A true unification of the physics of biological function requires educating a new generation of scientists.

Explore our Programs

Fellowships

Group of Research Fellows

CPBF Fellows of 2018-2023

We are searching for Center Fellows, both theorists and experimentalists. Applications for 2025 CPBF fellows are now open!

Apply Now

Biophysics Seminar Series

Edo Kussell, New York University
Mon, Feb 3, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Location
Jadwin Hall
Zhiyuan Li⏐ Peking University, China
Mon, Feb 10, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Location
Jadwin Hall
Bing Wen Brunton, University of Washington, Seattle
Mon, Feb 17, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Location
Jadwin Hall

News

2018 - 2021 APS Abstracts
learn more about current research at the Center, see the work to be presented at the March Meeting of the American Physical Society 2021

Game Theory Cancer Models of Cancer Cell-Stromal Cell Dynamics using Interacting Particle Systems Abstract

Bacterial Route…

ITS Symposia

Symposium: Fluid mechanics in living systems
Fri, Jan 31, 2025, 10:30 am5:30 pm
Location
CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan)
Symposium: Physics of Life: Student + Postdoc Edition
Fri, Feb 21, 2025, 10:30 am5:30 pm
Symposium: Information and irreversibility
Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 10:30 am5:30 pm
Location
CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan)

 

National Science Foundation