Research Projects The central theme of our research is to understand how stochastic interactions of cells and molecules control the functional behaviour of multicellular systems. We specifically focus on how cells interact…

How embryonic cells develop into complex organs Our body consists of 30 trillion cells that are organized into organs such as the liver, heart and kidneys. These specialized cells are generated in the embryo by a combination…

Chromosomes in 3D The developmentally dynamic nucleus How are chromosomes organized within nuclei? And how does organization impact developmental events? The nucleus is very dynamic during embryogenesis, in part because…

Theoretical Physics of Living Systems The development of an organism from a single fertilized cell into an embryo is a spectacular display of self-organization. This process is determined by the collective dynamics of cells…

Prof. Maria Hondele on cell organelles of a special kind Tiny droplets found within the cell have long fascinated Maria Hondele. These structures, known as membraneless organelles, have been well known for a long time, but…

Meet Maria Hondele, Professor of Biochemistry February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Do you think it is important that we celebrate this day? This day is a great opportunity to celebrate the…

2024 Celebrating the 2024 International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we recognize women's important roles and achievements in science. This day underscores the need for gender equality in science and the ongoing…

Join us! Are you interested in becoming part of the team? Feel free to contact us anytime! We are looking for highly motivated and curious PhD students with a background in theoretical physics, computational biology, applied…

Publication list - curated & annotated Recent highlights Bacteria use a general danger signal to trigger biofilm formation - Nature Microbiology 2025 Mechanical properties of biofilms measured with spatial resolution -…

Evolution of viruses and bacteria We want to understand the dynamics of evolution and the forces that drive it. Evolution of plants and animals tend to happen over centuries of even longer time-scales. Microbial organisms,…