Ramin Golestanian
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany
Ramin Golestanian is a theoretical physicist who specialises in active matter and non-equilibrium statistical physics. He is distinguished for his approach to the study of biological systems by viewing them as living condensed matter. In particular, he has championed the idea of using basic principles that govern the nonequilibrium physics and chemistry of microscopic systems to design active mechanical functional modules, such as microscopic autonomous motors, enzymes, metabolic cycles, swimmers, and active colloids, which exhibit a wealth of emergent collective properties. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and recipient of the Holweck Medal of IoP and SFP.
“Suppose we know how to make a sack of chemicals that contains all the ingredients of a cell. Then, how could the chemicals in the sack organise themselves to form a living cell? Despite having been around for more than half a century, there has been relatively little progress along these lines, perhaps because the foundations needed for studying the statistical physics of the collective behaviour of nonequilibrium soft matter systems are only just beginning to be developed.” One key focus of Golestanian’s current research is various formulations of non-reciprocal active matter as a paradigm for biological self-organisation.
For more information, visit the Department of Living Matter Physics website.
The selected postdoctoral researcher(s) will also receive supervision from Eberhard Bodenschatz.
| Main area(s) | Sub-area(s) |
|---|---|
| Metabolism and energy for synthetic cells | Protein-based minimal metabolism for synthetic cells Artificial light harvesting systems Synthetic membrane potentials Complex interlinked catalytic networks Artificial organelles (mitochondria/chloroplasts) Origin-of-life metabolic models Chemically driven protocell growth Membrane phase separation Chemical communication between protocells |
| Synthetic cell division and replication | Minimal contractile cytoskeletons and division rings Artificial motility systems Chiral symmetry breaking in protocells Coacervate-based protocells |
| Information processing and evolution of synthetic cells | Synthetic signaling Chemical self-replication Non-equilibrium self-assembly Autocatalytic reaction networks |
| Enabling technologies for synthetic cells | DNA origami-based modules for synthetic cells Artificial ribozymes Condensate-based Synthetic Cells Polymer-based Synthetic Cells Artificial evolutionary dynamics |