Research interests

• Nautiloid paleobiology (Nautilus and Allonautilus are on the CITES list of endangered species. Don't buy their shell!)

• Mechanical basis of morphogenesis and evolution of mollusk shells (Biophysics and Evo-Devo). Morphogenesis, the emergence of forms over development, does not only involve genetic and molecular mechanisms, but also mechanical forces generated from the subcellular level to the scale of tissues and organs. An early motivation in the rise of evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) was that “a comprehensive knowledge of the epigenetic rules that govern the unfolding of biological form would allow us to predict what evolutionary transformations are more likely to occur” (Alberch, 1983). In this context, mechanical models of morphogenesis allow to uncover the rules that physics imposes to the genesis, variation, and evolution of biological forms. Once that's understood, one is in position to shift the focus from the Darwinian narrative of “the survival of the fittest” to a predictive perspective of “the making of the likeliest” and to understand why evolution followed such and such a course despite its historical contingencies. My works on morphogenesis and evolution of mollusk shells revolve around these questions, in collaboration mainly with Derek Moulton and Alain Goriely (Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford). 

Selected papers

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2024).- Physique de la morphogenèse des coquilles de mollusques. Reflets de la Physique. 78: 18-23. pdf.

• Chirat R., Goriely A. & Moulton D. E. (2021).- The physical basis of mollusk shell chiral coiling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 118(48). pdf. Highlighted here: PNAS - CNRS - Sciences et avenir - Pour la Science - NYTimes

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2020).- Mechanics unlocks the morphogenetic puzzle of interlocking bivalved shells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA.117(1) 43-51. pdf. Highlighted here: PNAS - Physorg - Cosmos - Eurekalert - Sciences et vie - CNRS - CNRS - 2019 Cozzarelli Prize

• Rudraraju S., Moulton D. E., Chirat R., Goriely A. & Garikipati K. (2019).- A computational framework for the morpho-elastic development of molluskan shells by surface and volume growth. PLOS Computational Biology, 15(7):e1007213. pdf 

• Erlich E., Howell R., Goriely A., Chirat R. & Moulton D. E. (2018).- Mechanical feedback in seashell growth and form. The ANZIAM Journal. 59: 581-606. Special issue on ‘Mechanics in Biology’. pdf

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2018).- Comment les coquillages acquièrent leur forme. Pour la Science, 491: 50-57. pdf

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2018).- How seashells take shape. Scientific American, 318, 4: 68-75. pdf. Highlighted here : American Mathematical Society and here

• Erlich A., Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2016).- Morphomechanics and developmental constraints in the evolution of ammonites shell form. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution, 326: 437-450. pdf

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2015).- The morpho-mechanical basis of ammonite form. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 364: 220-230. pdf. Highlighted here: CNRS, CNRS, ScienceDaily, Phys.Org

• Chirat R., Moulton D. E. & Goriely A. (2013).- Mechanical basis of morphogenesis and convergent evolution of spiny seashells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 110 (15): 6015-6020. pdf. Highlighted in Nature and The Scientist

• Moulton D. E., Goriely A. & Chirat R. (2012).- Mechanical growth and morphogenesis of seashells. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 311: 69-79. pdf