Physics of Life
We use cutting-edge tools and intellectual concepts from the physical sciences to tackle challenging questions from the life sciences.
Our research spans multiple length scales from quantum biology and individual molecules through to single-cell physics and the biophysics of cell populations and complex tissues.
We work closely with the Biological Physical Sciences Interdisciplinary Network (BPSInet) where our researchers are involved in several cross-school collaborations between physical and life scientists focused on a range of biophysics questions. We also a pivotal node of the Physics of Life UK Network (PoLNET), instrumental in supporting and driving national research strategy in the Physics of Life.
Staff
- Dr Gonzalo Vallejo Fernandez Thin film and fine particle magnetism.
- Dr Yvette Hancock Hybrid systems.
- Professor Thomas Krauss Photonic biosensors.
- Professor Roland Kröger Nano and biomaterial.
- Professor Mark Leake Single-molecule cellular biophysics.
- Professor Tom McLeish Theory of soft matter, biological physics and evolution.
- Dr Agnes Noy Biophysics Molecular modelling of DNA and proteins.
- Dr Deborah O'Connell Low temperature plasmas.
- Dr Steven Quinn Single-molecule biophysics and model-membranes.
- Dr Laurence Wilson Novel microscopy techniques.
- Dr Adam Wollman Centre for Future Health Research Fellow
- Novel nanotechnology and optical microscopy.
- Dr Donato Conteduca Photonic crystals, optical trapping.
- Dr Helen Davies
Biomedical plasmas.
- Dr Alex Hargreaves Biophysics.
- Dr Jamieson Howard Single-molecule tethering/FRET.
- Dr Ji Eun Lee Biophysics.
- Dr Kezheng Li Nanophotonics and biophotonics.
- Dr Chris Reardon Photonics.
- Dr Charley Schaefer Theory of biophysical self-assembly.
- Dr Aisha Syeda Epigenetics silencing/microbiology.
- Dr Alice Von Der Heydt Theory of allosteric signalling.
About our group
We established a biological physics research centroid in 2015 following a series of open biophysics discussion events, which later grew in 2018 into one of the Physics, Electronics and Technology School's major research groupings comprising several different research teams. It became clear that there were significant emergent activities that aligned either directly with addressing biological questions, or with applying biophysics to applications in the life sciences, including the use of biological or bio-inspired devices and materials.
Application areas
Our strength is our breadth, spanning multiple key research areas:
