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Biological and Soft Systems

The 21st Century has already seen major expansion in interdisciplinary research between physics and biological and medical sciences. We seek new answers to pressing topical questions, by using quantitative physical approaches (a combination of experiment, theory and computer simulation) and developing new technology, while working in non-traditional multidisciplinary teams.

The Biological and Soft Systems Sector of the Cavendish Laboratory (BSS) brings together researchers inspired from polymer science, soft and hard condensed matter, and statistical physics, and making use of a wide range of techniques from optics to mechanical testing, from molecular self-assembly to theoretical modelling, from nano/microfluidics to micromanipulation and advanced image analysis methods. Our experimental hub is in the centre for the Physics of Medicine, a recent and well equipped building on the Cavendish Laboratory site.

 Our Key Strengths are: 

Latest news

Congratulations! - ERC Starting Grant to Prof. Diana Fusco

5 January 2023

The European Research Council starting grant will support Dr. Diana Fusco’s research group to develop mathematical methods and experimental validations to predict phage-bacteria co-evolution, a key step to be able to...

The study by Neil Ibata “Why exercise builds muscles” was in the news

30 September 2021

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used methods of theoretical biophysics to construct the model, which can tell how much a specific amount of exertion will cause a muscle to grow and how long it will take...

Lina Hacker’s paper on photoacoustic sensing of haemoglobin published.

25 November 2020

Lina has been investigating how photoacoustic imaging can be used to resolve species-specific differences in haemoglobin concentration and oxygen dissociation curves. Lina’s results show a clear relationship between...

A new Centre to promote multidisciplinary in Physical Biology

21 February 2020

The Launch Event of the Cambridge Centre for Physical Biology was held on the 20th of January at St John’s Old Divinity School. This newly create Centre aims to support and facilitate multidisciplinary collaborations across...