Losert, Wolfgang
Professor and Interim Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Education and Faculty Affairs
Department of Physics
College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences
1147 Physical Sciences Complex
Email:
Phone:
301-405-0629
Website:
General Research Interests:
- Dynamics of migrating cells and firing neurons
- Complex systems
- Granular Dynamics
- Biodynamics
- Cancer Dynamics
- Understanding and Controlling the Coupled Electrical, Chemical, & Mechanical Excitable Networks of Living Systems
Dr. Losert's research is centered on dynamical properties of Complex Systems at the convergence of physics and biology. A special focus is on applications to cancer biology. Examples of dynamical processes that are often found in complex systems are pattern formation and dynamical phase transitions. The main thrust of his work on living systems is to assess how cell motion and collective behavior are affected by physical cues, in particular the topography of the surface, surface adhesivity, and cell-cell adhesion. We discovered that cell migration can be guided by nanotopography via control of the dynamics of actin waves and that cell-surface adhesion can significantly alter the intracellular and collective cell dynamics. Dr. Losert's lab also developed new tools to integrate measurements of the physical properties of living systems with biomedical phenotypes, via advanced statistical and machine learning analysis of multiple types of information, most at the single cell level.
Background:
Education
Professor Losert received a diploma in technical physics from the Technical University of Munich, Germany in 1995 and a Ph.D. from the City College of the City University of New York in February 1998, working with Herman Cummins on the dynamics of pattern formation in crystal growth of binary alloys.