PI: Tyler Shendruk
Tyler is a computational physicist who models flowing, soft matter and biophysical systems in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh. Previously, he was Lecturer at Loughborough University, before which he was an Independent Fellow in the Center for Studies in Physics and Biology at Rockefeller University. During his time in the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford working with Professor Julia Yeomans, he was an EMBO-Long Term Fellow, Research Associate in Wadham College and Non-stipendiary Junior Research Fellow in St. Hilda’s College. His PhD was with Professor Gary Slater at the University of Ottawa.
Graduate Student
Michelle B Sebastian
Michelle B Sebastian is a biologist by training whose research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying the assembly of motor proteins in the central spindle during cell division. She earned her Integrated Master’s degree in Biotechnology from VIT University, India, and subsequently worked at the Indian Institute of Science, India. Outside the lab, Michelle enjoys arts and crafts, exploring diverse food spots, and watching crime thrillers.
Graduate Student
Ana Bensabat
Ana studies lyotropic nematic mixtures and active particles under soft confinement. For the latter, she is developing a code that couples particle dynamics with a continuous phase-field description of a deformable membrane. She previously studied Physics at the University of Porto, followed by a master’s in Physics at the University of Coimbra. There, she was a Gulbenkian Foundation New Talent in Physics, studying cell deformation using phase-field methods. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, cooking and playing guitar.
Graduate Student
Laila Saliekh
Laila studies the effects of bacterial chaining on the biofilm formation and its morphology. She did her Bachelor of physics in the Islamic University of Gaza, and Postgraduate Diploma at the International Centre of Theoretical Physics (ICTP). Her project in ICTP was on the study of the thermodynamic regimes that are performed by the active hair-cell bundles in the ear of a bullfrog, supervised by Edgar Roldan. Outside of physics, Laila enjoys cooking, swimming and weights lifting.
Graduate Student
Oleksandr Baziei
Oleksandr studies self-propelled particles in Viscek like systems. Most of the time is busy with the MPCD algorithm. He did his Bachelor and Master of Physics at the Odesa National Mechnikov University, Ukraine and currently doing PhD remotely from there. Outside of research working as Software Developer in automotive industry.
Graduate Student
François de Tournemire
François studies the role of DNA polymers during biofilm formation, and will use the group’s MPCD algorithm along with experiments to look into this active system. He previously studied at the University of Manchester, followed by a master’s in Biophysics at the Université Paris-Saclay. As part of this degree, he had a research internship on the role of topological defects on morphogenesis, supervised by Carles Blanch-Mercader at the Curie Institute. Outside of Physics, François likes to climb, hike, and explore new places.
Previous Post-Doc Researchers
Benjamín Loewe
Currently Assist. Prof. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Kristian Thijssen (Marie Curie post-doc)
Currently Novo Nordisk Fonden Emerging Investigator
Rory Claydon
Currently senior scientist in the Euclid Consortium
Previous PhD Researchers
Zahra Valei, Dynamics of polymers embedded in nematic and active fluids, University of Edinburgh 2021-2025
Timofey Kozhukhov, Mesoscale particle-based modelling of active nematic liquid crystals, University of Edinburgh 2020-2024
Louise Head, Topological and activity-induced constraints in nematic liquid crystals, University of Edinburgh 2020-2024
Ryan Keogh, Self-organised flow structures in confined active nematics, University of Edinburgh 2019-2023
Jack Paget, Complex tensors and simple layers: A theory for smectic fluids, Loughborough University 2019-2023
Previous Masters Students
Lucca Johann Leal, Dissipation within growing microbial colonies, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
Pulkit Mohata, Anomolous resistivity in active nematic systems, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
Matthew Seward, Active Ecosystem Engineers, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
John Whitfield, Knotted Active Biopolymers, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
Jas Wos, Bacterial Movement on Fungal Hyphae Networks, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
Gordon Yuen, Simulating microbial behavior in space, University of Edinburgh, 2025-2026
Kenzie Gibson, Simulating microbial behavior in space, University of Edinburgh, 2023-2024
Julia Bauer, Analyzing smectic order in E. coli microcolonies, University of Edinburgh, 2023-2024
Jan Kocka, Complex tensor order parameter for smectic liquid crystals in 3D, University of Edinburgh, 2023-2024
Kira Koch, Swimming in oil, University of Edinburgh, 2022-2023
Daniel Gordon, Colony dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, University of Edinburgh, 2022-2023
Karolina Wamsler, Nematic Colloids in Microfluidic Confinement, University of Edinburgh, 2021-2022
Matt Chouzouris, On the Effects of Bacterial Cell Geometry on inter-Species Interface Structure, University of Edinburgh, 2021-2022
EPSRC Undergraduate Vacation Internship Summer
Danial Dolan, Spatial Effects in Continuum Bacterial Modelling, University of Edinburgh, 2021-2022
Alex Parker, Modelling Polymeric Materials in Internally Ordered Biofluids, Loughborough University, 2019-2020
Steven Norfolk, Collective dynamics of simulated swimming micro-organisms and self-ordering mono-layers under confinement, Loughborough University, 2019-2020
EPSRC Physics of Life Student Summer Bursary
Shendruk Research 
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