Edouard Hannezo

Edouard Hannezo is a Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), where he leads a research group focused on theoretical physics and its applications to biological systems. His work bridges disciplines such as biophysics, developmental biology, and computational biology, with an emphasis on design principles and self-organization in embryonic development and tissue morphogenesis.

His research explores how mechanical forces and biochemical signals interact to drive robust cellular decision-making during development, using tools from statistical physics, fluid mechanics, and active hydrodynamics. Key projects include analyzing cytoskeletal self-organization, tissue architecture in organs like kidneys and mammary glands, and the role of mechanical feedback in stem cell fate.

Recent publications highlight his group's contributions to intestinal organoid morphogenesis, epithelial cell dynamics, and mechanobiology, with a thematic focus on branching morphogenesis, mechanochemical bistability, and curvature-driven biological processes.

• Notable scientific awards:
  • EMBO Young Investigator Award (2019)
  • ERC Starting Grant (2019)
  • Wellcome Trust Fellowship (2015)
  • Trinity College Junior Research Fellowship (2015)
  • Young Researcher Prize (2014)

He mentors a team of PhD students and postdocs, and his career spans roles at ISTA, the Gurdon Institute (Cambridge), and institutions in Paris and Cambridge. Collaborations with developmental biologists and physicists underpin his interdisciplinary approach.