Biophysics Seminars

The CPBF Seminar Series brings distinguished scientists to Princeton's campus to share recent research studying the  phenomena of life. Topics  range from single molecules to collective behavior in large populations, and span the intersection of physics and the life sciences. 

Noah Mitchell⏐University of Chicago
From Genes to Geometry: mapping the mechanics and dynamics of gut morphogenesis
Mon, Mar 31, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm

During morphogenesis, tissues integrate mechanical and biochemical signals to drive organ-scale geometric transformations. Understanding the dynamic interplay between genetic patterning, mechanical forces, and tissue geometry requires a physical framework that connects cell interactions to tissue shape change. Inner organs such as the gut and…

Floris van Breugel, University of Nevada, Rena
Information gathering as a guiding principle for animal (and robot) movement
Mon, Apr 7, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm

I study how organisms integrate sensory information from multiple modalities across time and space to make decisions in complex naturalistic environments. My end goal is twofold: to understand how brains process sensory information, and to generate new, bioinspired, algorithms for engineered systems that enable the kind of resilience…

Marie Suver, Vanderbilt University
Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Elena Koslover, University of California, San Diego
Tunneling through the Cell: Structure, Dynamics, and Transport in Networked Organelles
Mon, Apr 21, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm

Eukaryotic cells contain organelle systems that organize and distribute molecular components. In this talk we will explore two such systems: mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), both of which form extensively networked architectures that span across the cell. While functionally distinct, both of these organelles give rise to…

Ariel Amir, Weizmann Institute
Mon, Apr 28, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Daniel Sussman, Emory University
Mon, May 5, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm
Andrew Yates, Columbia University
Mon, May 12, 2025, 12:30 pm1:30 pm