One of the grand challenges of the 21st century is to understand, control, and re-engineer a living system from its many component parts to reconstitute the unique functions, structures, and material properties that define life. Our lab takes on this challenge by building quantitative models rooted in physics that bring out the design rules sculpting biological form, function, and behaviour across different spatiotemporal scales and organisational levels. Our work is organised around three main themes:
(1) Design principles for building subcellular structures: How does a cell construct its internal structures with precise morphologies and mechanical properties?
(2) Mechanics of growth, form and adaptation: How does a cell allocate its biochemical resources to optimise the fitness for growth, size control and adaptation to changing environments?
(3) Multicellular organisation and decision-making: How do cells in a population communicate, coordinate and cooperate to successfully proliferate, transmit mechanical forces, and repair damages?
Mailing Address:
Dr. Shiladitya Banerjee
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom
Email: shiladitya.banerjee AT ucl.ac.uk
Phone: (+44) 020 7679 7209
Office: Room E20, Physics and Astronomy [Map]