Introduction

Who are we?

Our team is based in the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge. Our work is concerned with the physics and mechanics of soft materials, with a particular focus on living cells and tissues.
During embryo development and certain diseased states such as cancer metastasis and would healing, tissues are actively changing shape through patterns of cell migration and cell rearrangements. Concepts from Physics and Mechanics are important in order to understand how subcellular processes can lead to macroscopically coordinated behaviours. Our research combines experimental design, data analysis and modelling to characterises the role of mechanical forces and physical constraints in the dynamics of large cell populations.