henri.schmidt@ds.mpg.de

Henri studied in Heidelberg, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark before joining the Zwicker lab as a PhD candidate in 2024. While for his undergraduate studies he focused on cell motility utilizing phase fields as well as optimal transport and Wasserstein distances, he investigated active turbulences modeled by nematics at the Niels-Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Continuing researching on soft matter physics, he nowadays takes interest in phase separation within multi-component systems, e.g., inside cells, where a multitude of proteins interact with each other. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, acting, rowing and sailing  as well as generally speaking being outside.

I studied Physics at the University of Bayreuth, with a strong focus on condensed matter systems and non-equillibrium dynamics. For my Bachelor’s thesis, I investigated the effect of temperature on the dispersion of surface plasmons. For my Master’s thesis, I theoretically described pattern formation and dynamic defects in ferromagnetic superconductors. I joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student in December 2023 and am interested in the principles and applications of controlling the motion of biomolecular condensates.

riccardo.rossetto@ds.mpg.de

I studied Physics of Complex Systems at Politecnico di Torino. For my master thesis, I worked on a model of phase separation on fluid membranes, which coupled the self-aggregation process with surface fluctuations. I joined David Zwicker’s group Theory of Biological Fluids as a PhD student in the fall of 2022. I am interested in statistical physics applications to biological systems, both from a theoretical and a computational perspective.

gerrit.wellecke@ds.mpg.de

I studied Physics at the Georg-August-University Goettingen. For my bachelor’s thesis, I worked with Prof. Dr. Peter Sollich on a coarse-graining approach for stochastic dynamics. For my master’s thesis, I investigated the relaxation of driven diffusive systems in the Mathematical bioPhysics Group of Aljaz Godec at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. I joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student in the autumn of 2022 and am interested in statistical physics and thermodynamics and how these frameworks can describe biological phenomena, such as phase separation.

marcel.ernst@ds.mpg.de

Marcel studied Physics at the Georg-August-University Göttingen. For his Master's thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization he was researching the stability and numerical simulation of convection in dry salt lakes aiming to understand the origin of characteristic polygonal patterns in salt playa. After several years at the University of Kassel working on simulations of electrical grids and especially the integration of eMobility he joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student. Interested in more theoretical approaches in fluid physics he works on the physical description of condensates involved in meiosis. In his free time he likes to go bouldering, hiking and generally being outside.