Research
How do living architectures form and maintain their structure? My research clarified the flow of mechanical information in several biophysical systems.
Architectural transitions in biofilms
Groups of bacteria can grow into patterned ellipsoidal colonies. How do these complex structures arise?
A simple verticalizing-fluid model shows how the structures are born through waves of mechanical instabilities.
Stiffness sensing in connective tissue
Certain types of cells probe and respond to stiffness. What can cells learn by pulling on tissue networks?
We investigated cellular mechanosensing by simulating how biopolymers respond to force dipoles.
Physical limits to sensing material properties
How can a collection of localized sensors infer the overall stiffness of a material?
Sensory information is bounded by elasticity. These bounds can be reached with sensory multiplexing.
Genome maintenance during aging
Over time, cells lose genes encoding protein-producing factories. What might cells do to maintain enough genes to survive?
The Yamashita Lab and I explored stochastic equations of gene copy number to learn how preferential inheritance can guard the fidelity of DNA during aging.