Traditionally, biological questions have been investigated with qualitative techniques that allow for interpretation classically in the context of evolution. This qualitative approach, however, struggles to adequately describe the dynamic nature of most of the essential biological processes upon which evolution is acting. Recent advances in molecular biology, optical microscopy, nanoscopic physics and computer science have opened up new avenues for interpreting biological phenomena, combining high-precision measurement of biological processes with theoretical predictions and models that are bound by physical principles and formulated in mathematical language. This allows for models to be numerically tested and validated by experiments and, conversely, for experiments to be designed and guided by theoretical models. My laboratory uses such an approach to understand a biological system holistically, within a framework of fundamental physical principles that dictate and constrain biological phenomena.
Research in the lab is highly interdisciplinary. The interests and expertise of the lab’s members range from physics to biology to computer science to engineering; we use a combination of computational and experimental approaches. We build microscopes and microfluidic devices to measure the concentrations dynamics of proteins and signaling molecules; we use tools from molecular biology and genetics to manipulate the organisms we study; and we use image analysis and modeling to analyze our data. Researchers are encouraged to move freely between the different disciplines and to learn a variety of techniques according to their specific needs and interests. We primarily address questions concerning the development of fruit fly embryos and emergent collective behavior via cell signaling in social amoeba populations, but we are open to new ideas and collaborations addressing questions in other model systems.
