Colloquium – Dapeng “Max” Bi

Dapeng “Max” Bi, Northeastern University

Decoding The Origins of Fluidity in Multicellular Systems

Organisms continually adapt to mechanical forces at the cellular and tissue levels, a process crucial for sustaining vital life functions. In physiological processes, such as cancer progression and embryonic development, tissues are often poised near solid-like and fluid-like states. My talk will delve into three aspects of this phenomenon: (1) using computational models that draw parallels with soft matter physics, we examine shear-induced rigidity and the origins of fluidity in epithelial tissues; (2) exploring the intricate relationship between external mechanical stresses and internal cellular dynamics, we unravel a range of rheological behaviors, such as shear thinning and thickening, which are key for understanding rheological responses in varying physical contexts; and (3) understanding how cellular processes like division and apoptosis influence tissue states, with a specific focus on the emergence of hexatic phases, an intermediate state that exhibits properties of both solids and liquids.

Bio: Dapeng “Max” Bi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Northeastern University. He received his Ph.D. in Physics in 2012 from Brandeis University and performed postdoctoral research at Syracuse University and Rockefeller University. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2021), the Sloan Research Fellowship (2022), the International Human Frontier Science Program Award (2022), and the National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (2023). He currently serves as the Chair of the American Physical Society New England Section.

As a theorist at the interface of physics and biology, his research group seeks to understand the collective dynamics of a wide range of systems, from developing embryos and cancer tumors to metamaterials and granular assemblies.

Aug 29, 2024 @ 4:00pm Central in Stevenson 5326; reception beforehand at 3:30pm in Stevenson 6333

Host: S Hutson