Soft Matter and Biological Physics
Overview
Soft Matter Physics is the study of materials with characteristics that lie between solids and liquids, such as colloids and polymers, and it finds applications in various fields, including materials science, biology, chemistry, and engineering. These materials have a soft and squishy nature, which makes them prone to deformation when exposed to external forces or thermal fluctuations. Researchers in the field of soft matter physics investigate the complex and often non-linear behaviours exhibited by these materials, examining their physical properties, phase transitions, and interactions between their constituent parts.
Biological Physics applies the principles of physics to biological systems with the goal of uncovering the physical mechanisms that govern biological processes, from molecular interactions to the behaviour of living organisms. It is a multidisciplinary and rapidly growing area of science. Researchers in biological physics aim to bridge the gap between physics and biology, contributing to our understanding of living systems, and facilitating applications in fields like medicine, biotechnology, and bioengineering.
Western has an active group of physicists who focus on soft materials (such as liquid crystals, polymers, and complex fluids) and biological systems (such as cell and multi-cellular organisms, membranes and proteins, cancer, and viruses) using computational and experimental techniques. Our faculty members in this field maintain active collaborations with scientists from various disciplines from physics and biology to engineering.
We encourage students to contact any of our faculty members to explore the possibilities for working and studying in this area.
