Soft Matter Seminar: Prof. Shiladitya Banerjee

Prof. Shiladitya Banerjee from Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics

Morphological adaptation and decision-making in changing environments

Research interests: Theoretical Biological Physics, Cell Function and Behavior, Multicellular organisation and mechanics

Abstract: To maximize their fitness, living organisms must be able to adapt effectively to stresses. This demands making trade-offs between processes that conserve resources for survival, and processes that consume resources to promote growth and division. Understanding the nature of these trade-offs and the physics underlying them is an outstanding challenge. This talk will present our recent work on understanding the physical and biological forces that regulate bacterial growth and morphological adaptation in dynamic environments. Specifically, I’ll discuss how changes in nutrient environments modulate cell shape, growth, and mechanics to optimize cellular adaptive performance under stress. Integrating quantitative theories with experimental data, we identify mechanistic models underlying cellular growth control and shape regulation, revealing the intimate connections between cell morphology and organismal fitness. In particular, we show how shape changes can provide adaptive benefits in stressful environments.

Location: Physics Building Room 202 (in-person only)