PAIR Distinguished Lecture: Prof. Julia M. YEOMANS of University of Oxford, U.K. delivers “Active Matter meets Mechanobiology: Evading the decay to equilibrium”

Life is constantly in motion, powered by energy that drives everything from tiny molecular machines to the grand choreography of growing organisms. Within each cell, nanoscale motors transport molecules with remarkable precision, while groups of cells self-organize into complex structures, shaping the growth of animals and plants from a single cell. This energy-driven organization extends to larger scales too, in the synchronised motion of shoaling fish, flocking starlings, and the flow of human crowds.

Active systems, driven by energy input at the level of individual particles, also exist out of thermodynamic equilibrium. Dense active matter shows distinctive collective behaviour: active turbulence, motile topological defects and co-ordinated flows, reminiscent of the rotation of cell clusters or the swirling patterns of a starling murmuration.

In this talk, Prof. Yeomans will discuss the physics of active matter and how this offers fresh perspectives on mechanobiology and developmental biology: from pattern formation in bacterial colonies, to the distribution of lesions in invasive breast cancer and the dynamics of epithelial cells.