In our experimental lab, we use E.coli as a model system to study how bacteria coordinate synthesis and maintenance processes for robust growth and survival in variable environments. We characterize the physiology of E.coli using experimental perturbations and from our observations we build theoretical models that predict the response, with the aim to uncover the principles governing E.coli's physiology.
In contrast to inanimate matter, biological systems are inherently out of equilibrium. We use a wide range of theoretical techniques from non-equilibrium statistical physics, dynamical systems theory, and continuum mechanics to study different aspects of the Physics of Living Systems:
