• Theoretical Condensed-Matter Physics
• Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics
• Astrophysics and General Relativity
• Experimental Elementary Particle Physics
• Accelerator Physics
• Experimental Condensed-Matter Physics
• Biological Physics
• Multidisciplinary Research
• Major Research Facilities
• Resources for Researchers

Vordiplom, Physics, 1982, University of Bayreuth. Diplom, 1985, Physics, University of Bayreuth. Dr. rer nat., 1989, Physics, University of Bayreuth. Research Associate, University of Bayreuth, 1987-1989. Postdoctoral Associate, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1989-92. Assistant Professor, Physics, Cornell, 1992-1998. Associate Professor, Physics, Cornell, 1998 -2004. Professor, Physics, Cornell, 2003-2005. Director, Max Plank Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 2005-present. Adjunct Professor, Physics, Cornell, 2005-present. Adjunct Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell, 2005-present. Professor of Physics, University of Goettingen, 2007-present. Visiting appointments at: University of California at San Diego; Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara. Fellowships and service: Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1993-1995. Cottrell Scholar, 1995. Editor in Chief, New Journal of Physics. Director of the Materials Research Society. Member of the Advisory Board of airXiv. Member of the Steering Committee of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, U.C. Santa Barbara.

Research Areas
Experimental investigation of nonlinear systems in physics, geophysics, biology and medicine: turbulence, cloud physics, thermal convection, cell migration and chemotaxis, cardiac arrhythmias: particle tracking, digital microscopy, high performance image processing, development of advance measurement techniques, cell and tissue engineering and computational analysis and modeling

Current Research

Nonlinear out-off-equilibrium systems impact all levels of our everyday lives from ecology, sociology and economics, to biology, medicine, chemistry and physics. Typically these systems show self-organization and complex, sometimes unpredictable spatio-temporal dynamics. Although different in detail, the temporal and spatial structure of these systems can often be described by unifying principles. Searching for and understanding these principles is at the center of our group's research. To achieve this goal, we are focusing on well-defined problems in the physics of fluid dynamics, of cellular biology and of medical relevance. Currently we are investigating experimentally and theoretically pattern formation and spatiotemporal chaos in thermal convection. In collaboration with my colleagues Zellman Warhaft and Lance Collins from Mechanical and Aerospace engineering and researchers from the International Collaboration for Turbulence Research we study particle transport in the fully developed turbulence of simple and complex fluids with its implication to fundamental theories, but also to practical issues like turbulent mixing and particle aggregation. We collaborate with colleagues Zellman Warhaft and Lance Collins from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Ray Shaw from the Michigan Technical University, Holger Seibert from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research in Leibzig and Joerg Schumacher from the Technical University Illmenau in the investigation of the turbulent dynamics of clouds and cloud droplets. Together with the cardiologists Robert Gilmour, at the Veterinary School of Cornell University, and Gerd Hasenfuss at the Heart Center of the University of Gottingen and Stefan Luther at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, we investigate of the dynamics of the mammalian heart at the cellular and organ scale. In collaboration with groups at the University of California at San Diego, at the University of Gottingen, and the University of Potsdam we conduct experiments in biophysics and nano-biocomplexity using micro-fluidic devices to probe and to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of intra-cellular and extra-cellular processes.

Graduate Students
Gabriel Amselem, Albert Bae, Kelken Chang, Amgad Squires, Mathias Theves, Stephan Weiss and Christian Westendorf

Postdocs
Azam Gholami, Mathieu Gilbert, Noriko Oikawa, Walter Pauls, Ewe Wei Saw, Mireia Torralba and Hengdong Xi

Senior Research Associates
Holger Nobach and Haitao Xu

Visiting Scientists
Guenther Ahlers (UCSB), Carsten Beta (Potsdam), Denis Fuenfshilling (Nancy), Valentin Krinsky (Nice) and Eckhart Meiburg (UCSB)

Spotlight

Maxim Sheinin is a graduate student in Michelle Wang's single molecule biophysics lab. He is using angular optical trap, a unique instrument recently developed in the lab, to probe the influence of torsion on single biomolecules, such as DNA. Torsion is essential in the life of the cell, as DNA and chromatin are constantly being twisted by the action of various molecular machines, during transcription, replication etc. Angular optical trap provides the opportunity to directly measure torques that arise as ...
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