Soft Matter Physics Group

The scientific interests of our group encompass different fields of soft matter physics including self-assembly of biomolecules, colloids and polymers, mechanical and thermodynamic properties of 2D materials/films for applications in biotechnology, chemistry and medicine. Of particular interest is biophysics which is a multidisciplinary field that combines physics and mathematics to the physical and chemical processes occur in living organisms. Our group primarily aims to broaden our understanding in physics at the nano-bio interface. Specifically we explore interaction, localization and self-assembly of proteins, drugs, DNA, synthetic nanoparticles etc. This will enable us to address the next generation biological challenges by utilizing physical instrumentation and methodologies.

Unfolding the multifaceted relationship between physics, chemistry and biology remained the most attractive research topic in the last few decades. Our group Utilizes the state-of-the-art physics tools at nano-bio interface to disentangle the challenges posed by biological systems. However, any external molecule e.g. drug or nanoparticle, in order to interact with the cell, has to interact with the first barrier known as the cell membrane. Therefore, we structurally mimic the cell membrane in vitro and study their molecular level interactions with the external moieties.

In our group, we use different experimental techniques including X-ray and neutron scattering, Langmuir-Blodgett techniques, differential scanning calorimetry and also several microscopy techniques. We aim to provide structural, thermodynamic and mechanical insights of the biophysical systems which play a pivotal role in understanding the physics of life. Our group collaborates with largescale facilities e.g. DESY (Germany), Photon Factory (Japan), ESRF (France), APS (USA) for the synchrotron X-ray studies. In addition, we collaborate with theoretical groups for the molecular dynamics simulation to complement the experimental observations.