Active & Biological Matter

I am a research associate at the Jožef Stefan Institute and an assistant at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana. My main research interest is understanding the physical underpinning of the behaviour of biological systems. To that end, I use theoretical and computational models of soft and active matter, focusing especially on cell-resolution models of tissue mechanics and the role of activity in cell dynamics and morphogenesis. My work is inherently interdisciplinary and often involves close collaboration with developmental biology labs.

Open positions

The theoretical biophysics group at the Department of Theoretical Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia, invites applications for up to three postdoctoral positions to work on topics in theoretical and computational physics of active and biological matter. The successful candidate will work in collaboration with Dr. Jan Rozman and Dr. Matej Krajnc on topics related to the role of activity in 2D and 3D tissue dynamics, focusing on computational approaches such as the vertex model. 

Interested candidates should email jan.rozman@ijs.si with the application, including a CV with publication list and a statement of research interests, and arrange for 2–3 reference letters to be sent to the same email. We will begin assessing applications on February 9th. The positions are available from the 1st of March 2026, but the starting time is flexible. We can offer an initial 1-year contract with the possibility of extension.

Please email Jan Rozman (jan.rozman@ijs.si) or Matej Krajnc (matej.krajnc@ijs.si) with any questions.

News

2026: RSF grant: Nematic Or Polar Epithelia: what drives cell turbulence? (NOPE)

2025: ARIS (Program AD) grant: Nematic activity at cell resolution in three-dimensional tissues: morphogenesis, collective motion, and active mixtures

2025: Received Jožef Stefan Golden Emblem Prize for Ph.D. thesis

2025: Nature Communications paper: Vertex Model with Internal Dissipation Enables Sustained Flows

2024: Physical Review Letters paper (Editors' Suggestion): Cell Sorting in an Active Nematic Vertex Model

2024: Physical Review Letters paper: Basolateral Mechanics Prevents Rigidity Transition in Epithelial Monolayers

Contact Information

e-mail: jan.rozman (at) ijs.si 

office: No. 429, Jadranska ulica 19, Ljubljana; No. 253, Jamova cesta 39, Ljubljana (more likely to be in the former)