I am a fourth year DPhil student in soft condensed matter in the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics. I work with Prof Julia Yeomans, and my research focuses on modelling collective behaviour in biological systems using active nematics, hybrid Lattice Boltzmann simulations and finite difference and finite element methods.
I am interested in understanding the importance of mechanical forces and flows that underlie patterning, cell sorting and morphogenesis in living systems.
Research interests
"Biophysics", "Active Matter", "Fluid Mechanics"
"Statistical Physics", "Computational Physics"
Selected publications
Phase Separation driven by Active Flows
Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 238201 (2023)
Abstract:
We extend the continuum theories of active nematohydrodynamics to model a two-fluid mixture with separate velocity fields for each fluid component, coupled through a viscous drag. The model is used to study an active nematic fluid mixed with an isotropic fluid. We find microphase separation, and argue that this results from an interplay between active anchoring and active flows driven by concentration gradients. The results may be relevant to cell sorting and the formation of lipid rafts in cell membranes.