Our vision is to quantify, understand, and control emergent collective phenomena in soft materials and living systems. We combine theoretical modeling, computational analysis, and table-top experiments to investigate these questions in animate and inanimate systems across molecular, cellular, and organismal scales. By studying specific examples, we aim to uncover general principles and elucidate functional consequences of soft, nonequilibrium physics for biology and engineering. Our research is curiosity-driven and deeply interdisciplinary and collaborative. Along with fostering innovative science, the lab is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and belonging in the group by cultivating an inclusive environment that supports the well-being and success of all its members.
To learn more, check out our research, publications, press, and outreach!
Latest News
[May 2026] We got approved for field work in the Nichols Arboretum to sample growth and variation in plant leaves! Stay tuned for more updates on this new research direction! In other news, Hazen got accepted into the UMass Soft Matter summer school and Maggie got accepted into the WE-Heraeus summer school on Active, Adaptive and Autonomous Matter. Congrats Hazen and Maggie!
[April 2026] Camellia receives the Otho Lyle Tiffany & Mary Lois Tiffany Fellowship awarded to students showing great promise and progress in their academic efforts. Congrats Camellia!
[March 2026] Conference month! Suraj shared ongoing work on plant morphogenesis at a wonderful workshop on Mathematics and Biology I: Morphometry, Morphogenesis and Mathematics at CMSA, Harvard. Undergrads from the group (Ella and Camillia) presented posters at the APS CU*IP conference, and the whole group attended and gave talks at the APS Global Physics Summit!
[Feb 2026] We started the new year with a review by Suraj of the wonderful recent book on Soft Matter: Concepts, Phenomena, and Applications. Our paper on failure in active solids in collaboration with Mike Murrell’s group (Yale) is also finally out in Nature Materials, with a very nice highlight by Vincenzo Vitelli and Daniel Seara in a News & Views article!