Simons Foundation Funds Physics

Four professors in the College of Arts and Sciences have received major grant awards from the Simons Foundation, a global organization advancing research in basic science and mathematics.

M. Cristina Marchetti, the William R. Kenan Professor of Physics, is the recipient of a targeted grant from the Mathematical Modeling of Living Systems program. She will use her three-year award, valued at $473,000, to study models of collective cell migration and sorting.

“These achievements are remarkable for not only the college, but also the University,” says Karin Ruhlandt, dean of Arts and Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. “For the Simons Foundation to recognize four different professors across two departments, all at once, is exceedingly rare. Their awards signal a culture of scholarly excellence on campus.”

M. Cristina Marchetti

In addition to being a Kenan Professor, Marchetti is associate director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute and a member of the University’s Soft Matter Program. Her research involves the structure and rheology of active suspensions and gels, cell cytoskeletons and motility, bacteria swarms and non-equilibrium phase transitions.

“I’m interested in learning how biological matter converts energy to movement,” says Marchetti, who was awarded a 2013-14 Simons Fellowship to organize an international workshop at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “My group uses theory and computation to investigate the rich dynamics of a broad range of systems—from cytoskeletons, cells and tissues to synthetic microswimmers.”

Specifically, Marchetti will develop mathematical models to explain classes of experimental results. “We’re interested in testing theoretical ideas and expanding their reach. We plan to survey what research has been done thus far, to address central broad questions and to identify areas for future breakthroughs,” she adds.

Alan Middleton, professor and chair of physics, is proud of Marchetti’s accomplishment. “This award breaks new theoretical ground by developing models that explain data and motivate new classes of experiments. It speaks to the importance we place on theory-experiment collaboration at the University,” he says.