I am interested in providing quantitative descriptions of the rich qualitative phenomena of complex biological systems to understand how they derive from general principles. I work at the interface between physics and biology, often marrying theory and experiment. Clearly, something fundamental distinguishes inanimate from living systems, and what drives my group’s research is the belief that the same physical laws must govern both. Life magically emerges within this framework, leading us to new areas of physics which we seek to uncover. To make progress, we pursue a physics-style approach, combining state-of-the-art experimental techniques, often developing new ways to perform measurements in living systems, with novel data analysis methods that allow for stringent tests of simple models and theory.
Click to view graph
Connections
Click to view timeline
Timeline
About
Transversal Projects
Former Teams
CV
- 2019 Professor of Physics (Princeton University)
- 2018 Head of Structure (Institut Pasteur)
- 2015 Associate Professor of Physics (Princeton University)
- 2009 Assistant Professor of Physics (Princeton University)
- 2006-09 JSPS Fellow (University of Tokyo, Japan)
- 2005 Ph.D. Biophysics (Princeton University)
- 2001 Chemistry Master (Princeton University)
- 1999 Physics Master (Université de Genève, Suisse)
Some background on career path can be found here:
Publications
Download-
2025Bridging spatial and temporal scales of developmental gene regulation., Curr Opin Genet Dev 2025 Mar; 92(): 102328.
-
2025Deriving a genetic regulatory network from an optimization principle., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2025 Jan; 122(1): e2402925121.
-
2024Precise and scalable self-organization in mammalian pseudo-embryos., Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024 Mar; (): .
-
2023Stochastic motion and transcriptional dynamics of pairs of distal DNA loci on a compacted chromosome., Science 2023 Jun; 380(6652): 1357-1362.
-
2023Growth produces coordination trade-offs in Trichoplax adhaerens, an animal lacking a central nervous system., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023 Mar; 120(11): e2206163120.
-
2023Functional analysis of the Drosophila eve locus in response to non-canonical combinations of gap gene expression levels, Developmental Cell, In press, ⟨10.1016/j.devcel.2023.10.001⟩.
-
2022Structured foraging of soil predators unveils functional responses to bacterial defenses., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022 Dec; 119(52): e2210995119.
-
2022Eukaryotic gene regulation at equilibrium, or non?, Curr. Opin. Syst. Biol. 2022 Sep;31:100435..
-
2022Temporally dynamic antagonism between transcription and chromatin compaction controls stochastic photoreceptor specification in flies., Dev Cell 2022 08; 57(15): 1817-1832.e5.
-
2022Latent space of a small genetic network: Geometry of dynamics and information., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022 06; 119(26): e2113651119.
-
+View full list of publications