The nonequilibrium physics of active and biological matter

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A new type of soft condensed matter, called 'active matter', arises in biological systems which continually convert one form of energy into another. Examples include subcellular networks of filaments and motors (the 'cytoskeleton'); and DNA-protein systems. The constant energy consumption drives the system out of equilibrium in several possible ways. We will study the phase behaviour and response to external perturbation of these systems by using computational physics methodologies developed in our Edinburgh group and elsewhere. Specifically we will mainly be using lattice Boltzann simulations (for actin-filament systems) and molecular dynamics simulations coupled to in-house codes (for DNA-protein systems). This theoretical project offers exciting opportunities for a student interested in large scale computational physics.