Physics and mathematics of active and living matter
From Jan 2025 I will be based at The School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh.
I am a theoretical physicist working in the area of statistical physics, stochastic systems, soft matter, and biophysics. Currently, I am an independent Isaac Newton Institute (INI) Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge and a Research Associate of Fitzwilliam College. I am also an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Mathematics, University College London (UCL).
Current research affiliations:
Past research affiliations:
Research Posts
2025-
(4-year) Flora Philip Fellowship, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
(Jul) 2024 - (Jan) 2025
Research Associate, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
INI Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Isaac Newton Institute (INI), University of Cambridge
Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Mathematics at University College London
(May) 2022- (Jul) 2024
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Mathematics at University College London
(with Dr. Philip Pearce)
2020- (Apr) 2022
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Physics and Materials Science at the University of Luxembourg
(with Prof. Etienne Fodor)
Education
2016-2020
DPhil in Theoretical Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London
(with Prof. Bart W. Hoogenboom, Prof. Andela Saric, and Prof. Ian J. Ford).
2011-2016
MPhys (1st Class Honours), Department of Physics at Swansea University. Awarded the PM Davidson Prize.
Research Funding
Wellcome Accelerator Award (won in 2024, for 2025-2027).
Flora Philip Fellowship, Edinburgh (won in 2024).
INI Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Cambridge (won in 2024).
Travel funding (UCL Math, won in 2024).
Travel Fellowship “Physics of Biological Cells”, Edinburgh (won in 2024).
Summer research fund [Rajpoot, won in 2024].
Laidlaw research fund [Rehman, won in 2024].
G-Research travel and research Grant (won in 2023).
IPLS summer studentship [Phelan, won in 2023].
MAPS research internship [Ben-Shem, won in 2023].
Laidlaw research fund [Wedderburn, won in 2023].
Research Visits
2024
Prof. Dr. Sabine Klapp at TU Berlin, Germany.
Dr. Karel Proesmans at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark.
2023
(SPL Programme) Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge, UK.
2019-2020
Prof. Anton Zilman at the University of Toronto, Canada.
Latest news and information
(December 2024) Awarded a Wellcome Accelerator Award. I will be hiring a Postdoc (2025-2027), if you are interested, or know any suitable candidates, please do get in touch (more information soon).
(December 2024) For 1 week, I visited the group of Prof. Dr. Sabine Klapp at TU Berlin and gave an informal seminar.
(December 2024) Abstract submission for INTERPHACE open until 8th December 2024: https://www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/interphace-symposium-2025.
(November 2024) I gave an invited talk at the MathPhys seminar series at Imperial College London.
(November 2024) I gave an invited talk at the CMMB seminar series at the University of Nottingham.
(October 2024) I gave an invited talk at the Biocomplexity seminar series at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen.
(October 2024) For 2 weeks, I visited Dr. Karel Proesmans at the NBIA (Niels Bohr International Academy) in Copenhagen.
(October 2024) I became a Research Associate of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.
(September 2024) Announced the Stochastic Systems in Active Matter (SSAM) workshop to be taking place at the Isaac Newton Institute, University of Cambridge 4th October. See “SSAM24 Workshop” page for more information.
(September 2024) Gave a contributed talk at the Smart Condensates and Droplets Meeting at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.
(September 2024) Gave an invited talk at the 1st meeting of the UK Mathematical Systems and Control Theory at Warwick University.
(August 2024) Living proof podcast interview: “Meet the… Simons Postdoctoral Fellows” mini series #12 Dr Luke Davis.
(August 2024) Gave a talk on Statistical physics and active matter, and about my journey in academia as a Black physicist, at Representing Physics 24, organized by the Blackett Lab Family, at Imperial College London.
(June 2024) Was a judge for the “Solve for X” event ran by the Martingale foundation, and gave an invited talk at the LMS in celebration of 200th Anniversary of the birth of Lord Kelvin.
(June 2024) Visit and talk in Rome in the historic University “la Sapienza”.
(May 2024) Visited the picturesque IESC in Cargese, in Corsica, to participate in the Collecitve motion of animals and robots workshop. Presented work on the control of active matter.
(May 2024) Presented work in Edinburgh [Physics of biological cells] with Philip Pearce on minimal polymer physics modelling of disordered protein assemblies.
(April 2024) Attended my first BAMC meeting in Newcastle and gave a talk in the Mathematics and Physics of Active and Living Systems session.
(March 2024) Secured my second Laidlaw UG Scholar, who will start work in June 2024.
(March 2024) Gave an invited talk on work on active matter under control and was part of a panel discussion on EDI in physics in the PhysicsIsYou conference (London).
(March 2024) Presented work about our Nat. Comms. paper (Tactoids) at the APS March Meeting in Minneapolis, USA.
(Feb 2024) I have won x2 Fellowships! I will soon be joining the Isaac Newton Institute in Cambridge as an INI Fellow, then joining the University of Edinburgh for a 4-year (eq. Lecturer) Flora Philip Fellowship. Excited to push the boundaries of theoretical biophysics and stat mech.
