2025-10-06 - 2025-10-10
Anna Erzberger
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg
Active fluids are materials whose constituents convert chemical energy into mechanical work, generating internal stresses that fundamentally alter their flow and mechanical properties, leading to collective motion, shape dynamics, and pattern formation. In living systems, active hydrodynamics provides a unifying framework to describe phenomena across scales—from cytoskeletal dynamics during cell migration and cell division to tissue flows and shape generation during development.
Starting from the continuum mechanics of passive fluids, I will cover low Reynolds number flows, introduce a non-equilibrium thermodynamics framework for the hydrodynamics of active fluids, and analyze the resulting instabilities and spontaneous flows. The final part of the course focuses on hydrodynamics on curved and deformable surfaces, connecting to biological examples such as cell-surface dynamics and morphogenesis.
Prerequisites:
Familiarity with vector calculus, partial differential equations, and basic continuum mechanics concepts is assumed. Experience with tensor notation and introductory differential geometry will be helpful but not required; essential tools will be introduced as needed.
