My research is mainly concerned with search processes in complex systems, with focus on search along DNA.
Search is a fundamental part of the world. In nature, animals search as they scavenge for food, and humans hopelessly try to find whichever jacket they put their car key in. From a more abstract view, processes like virus spread or stock market trends can be viewed as types of searches, where the virus searches for a new host and the stock "searches" for a higher market value. By better understanding search, we can unlock knowledge in many fields.
My research explores search on a microscopic level, focusing on the cell nucleus. Here, DNA, comprising 23 chromosomes packed into a tiny space, must be efficiently accessed by proteins to perform essential cellular functions. This is a complex task, given the vast genome size and the crowding inside the nucleus. By breaking down the parts of the cellular system and mapping its components to physical concepts, we aim to provide a comprehensive understanding and shed light on the different search processes in the cell, and hope that this knowledge also applies to a wide range of different systems not only in the cell nucleus.
I supervise and develop modelling labs in several different courses in the physics department in the subject areas of fluid mechanics, biophysical systems, electromagnetism, population dynamics and disease spreading on networks.