Program Overview
The MIT Physics of Living Systems Fellowship supports postdoctoral scholars in pursuing research in the dynamics of living and complex systems, from the molecular to population scales. The program aims to appoint two new Fellows per academic year for a three-year fellowship term each. Fellows are typically selected by means of an annual competition coordinated with the Pappalardo Fellowship competition in early September; biophysics and soft matter applicants for the Pappalardo Fellowship will be considered for both Fellowship programs. Candidates must be nominated by early September, and the complete application is then due a few weeks later.
All MIT Physics of Living Systems Fellows are provided with:
- independence in selection and focus of research direction within the MIT Physics of Living Systems Group throughout their three-year fellowship term;
- active mentoring and intellectual interactions fostered by the annual biophysics retreat, weekly seminar series, and weekly luncheons with faculty during the academic year;
- a competitive annual stipend (currently $71,000), combined with $2,000 per year in discretionary research funds
- eligibility for employee health and welfare benefits through MIT’s Benefits Office.
The PLS community thanks the Moore Foundation and private sources for supporting this program.
Current Fellows
Shreyas Gokhale (PLS Fellow, 2020-present)
Shreyas is interested in studying the nonequilibrium self-assembly of soft active matter to understand the emergence of biological function, and to design bioinspired soft materials. Hi previous research includes grain boundary dynamics and glass formation in colloidal systems, as well as bacterial population oscillations.
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Hyunseok Lee (PLS Fellow, 2023-present)
Hyunseok is interested in studying the emergent behavior of living mixtures to understand potentially simple principles for such complex systems. He is especially interested in spatial structure and collective dynamics of microbes and marine organisms. Previously, he has used experiment and theory to study emergent behaviors of microbial communities competing for resources or space.
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Jana Huisman (HFSP Fellow, 2022-present)
Bio to come
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In addition to PLS and Pappalardo Fellows, the PLS also hosts other postdoctoral Fellows:
- Sergey Belan (McDonnell Fellow)
- Sivan Pearl (HFSP Fellow)
- Avihu Yona (HFSP Fellow)
Past Pappalardo and Physics of Living Systems Fellows
- Akshit Goyal (PLS Fellow, 2019 – 2023) is now faculty at International Centre for Theoretical Sciences.
- Margaret Gardel (Pappalardo Fellow, 2004 – 2005) is now an Associate Professor in the Physics Department at University of Chicago.
- Josh Goldford (PLS Fellow, 2020 – 2023)
- Samuel Melton (PLS Fellow, 2020-2023)
- Guy Bunin (Pappalardo Fellow, 2013 – 2016) is now an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at the Technion in Israel.
- Todd Gingrich (PLS Fellow, 2015 – 2018) is now an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at Northwestern University.
- Jeff Gore (Pappalardo Fellow, 2007 – 2009) is now an Associate Professor here in the Department of Physics at MIT.
- Jordan Horowitz (PLS Fellow, 2017 – 2018) is now an Assistant Professor in Biophysics and Complex Systems at the University of Michigan.
- Kirill Korolev (Pappalardo Fellow, 2010-2013) is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Boston University.
- Yoav Lahini (Pappalardo Fellow, 2012 – 2015) is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Tel Aviv University.
- Sarah Marzen (PLS Fellow, 2016 – 2019) is an Assistant Professor of Physics at the W. M. Keck Science Department at the Claremont colleges.
- Alexandre Solon (PLS Fellow, 2015 – 2018) is a CNRS research scientist, LPTMC, Sorbonne Université
- Arpita Upadhyaya (Pappalardo Fellow, 2002 – 2005) is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park.
- Dino Osmanovic (PLS Fellow, 2017 – 2020)
- Peter Foster (PLS Fellow, 2017 – 2020) is now a Research Scientist at Brandeis University.
- David Gelbwaser (PLS Fellow, 2018 – 2021) is now an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at the Technion in Israel.