Ilya Nemenman honored with Simons Investigators award

Ilya Nemenman is one of only two recipients of this year’s Simons Investigators award for Theoretical Physics in Life Sciences, honoring “outstanding theoretical scientists in their most productive years, when they are establishing creative new research directions, providing leadership to the field and effectively mentoring junior scientists.” The appointment is renewable, with an initial period … More Ilya Nemenman honored with Simons Investigators award

Spotlight on “Energetics of twisted DNA topologies”

BY W.XU, D. DUNLAP, & L. FINZI (Pictured Left to Right: D. Dunlap, W. XU, L. Finzi) Our goal is to review the main theoretical models used to calculate free energy changes associated with common, torsion-induced conformational changes in DNA and provide the resulting equations hoping to facilitate quantitative analysis of both in vitro and … More Spotlight on “Energetics of twisted DNA topologies”

Prof. Shashank Shekhar is awarded $1.94M R35 MIRA Grant

This grant will fund his work on multi-component mechanochemical molecular mechanisms underlying cellular actin dynamics. More on the MIRA Award: Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) (R35) MIRA provides support for the research in an investigator’s laboratory that falls within the mission of NIGMS. The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency of NIGMS funding … More Prof. Shashank Shekhar is awarded $1.94M R35 MIRA Grant

One of our Physics Graduates Andrew Wilson will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Former Emory swimming standout Andrew Wilson made history Monday night, becoming the first Division III swimmer to ever qualify for the Olympics. In an incredible three-way finish in the 100 Breaststroke, Wilson accomplished a goal years in the making as he earned a qualifying spot on Team USA for the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, … More One of our Physics Graduates Andrew Wilson will participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Stopping an Iceberg

Shortly before Jakobshavn Isbræ, a tidewater glacier in Greenland, calves massive chunks of ice into the ocean, there’s a sudden change in the slushy collection of icebergs floating along the glacier’s terminus, according to a new collaborative paper led by Dr. Ryan Cassotto (CIRES, UCBoulder) and Emory Physics faculty, Justin Burton. The work, published today … More Stopping an Iceberg

The Scientist and Nature recently interviewed David Dunlap…

Journalists from The Scientist (www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/some-viruses-use-an-alternative-genetic-alphabet-68726) and Nature (www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01157-x) recently interviewed David Dunlap, PhD,. He was asked to comment on recent discoveries reported in three articles published in Scie nce on April 29, 2021 of 60 organisms whose genome contains diaminopurine (DAP) instead of adenine and enzymes responsible for incorporating DAP into DNA. For over forty … More The Scientist and Nature recently interviewed David Dunlap…

Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

The dynamics of the neural activity of a mouse brain behave in a peculiar, unexpected way that can be theoretically modeled without any fine tuning, suggests a new paper by physicists at Emory University. Physical Review Letters published the research, which adds to the evidence that theoretical physics frameworks may aid in the understanding of … More Physicists develop theoretical model for neural activity of mouse brain

NYT Posts Article Featuring New Faculty Member Dr. Jennifer Rieser

The New York Times recently published the article “The Skin-Deep Physics of Sidewinder Snakes” featuring our newest faculty member, Dr. Jennifer Rieser. The article’s focus is on how snake skin helped Dr. Rieser and other members of the team to understand how snakes move in different environments, such as on sand. They discovered that the … More NYT Posts Article Featuring New Faculty Member Dr. Jennifer Rieser

Emory Undergraduates Reach for the Stars

Each year there are many undergraduate research opportunities with astronomy faculty and staff in the Physics Department at Emory. Engaging in astronomy research can be an excellent way to enhance a student’s critical thinking skills and qualifications for graduate school in physics and astronomy (or any related field). Many students elect to enroll in research … More Emory Undergraduates Reach for the Stars

Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices

Prof. Luiz Santos and his graduate student Jian Wang have proposed a new framework for the realization of topological phase transitions in graphene superlattices. Two-dimensional superlattices, where electrons experience a long length scale periodic potential, have emerged in recent years as versatile platforms to realize exotic forms of quantum matter. A remarkable example of such … More Santos Group Advances Frontier of Topological Phases in Graphene Superlattices