In the Grill Lab at the MPI-CBG in Dresden, we investigate the fundamental physical principles that drive the dynamic self-organization of living systems. Our research seeks to understand how mechanical forces, active processes, and emergent physical behaviors shape the architecture of cells, tissues, and embryos. By combining quantitative experiments with theoretical physics, we reveal how structure and function emerge at the mesoscale, from molecular assemblies to multicellular organization.
We study how physical principles shape life. We pursue an active matter physics approach to investigate how the actomyosin cytoskeleton inside the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans generates the forces that polarize the zygote, and the torques that drive left-right symmetry breaking. We use optical tweezers to investigate collective protein-DNA interactions and their dependence on DNA sequence. Through this, we work to advance our understanding of the physical concepts and principles that govern the dynamic self-organization of living matter, to shed light on how living systems build and structure themselves over time.
In the Grill Lab at the MPI-CBG in Dresden, we investigate the fundamental physical principles that drive the dynamic self-organization of living systems. Our research seeks to understand how mechanical forces, active processes, and emergent physical behaviors shape the architecture of cells, tissues, and embryos. By combining quantitative experiments with theoretical physics, we reveal how structure and function emerge at the mesoscale, from molecular assemblies to multicellular organization.
We study how physical principles shape life. We pursue an active matter physics approach to investigate how the actomyosin cytoskeleton inside the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans generates the forces that polarize the zygote, and the torques that drive left-right symmetry breaking. We use optical tweezers to investigate collective protein-DNA interactions and their dependence on DNA sequence. Through this, we work to advance our understanding of the physical concepts and principles that govern the dynamic self-organization of living matter, to shed light on how living systems build and structure themselves over time.
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If you are drawn to the interface of physics and biology and interested in joining our lab please contact us here.
