Steffen Rulands

Prof. Dr. Steffen Rulands is a Professor and group leader at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) since 2022, where he leads the Rulands Group within the Faculty of Physics. Previously, he served as a Group leader (W2 level) at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems from 2017 to 2022. His academic journey includes a Doctoral degree in physics from LMU in 2013, followed by research positions at the University of Cambridge as a Research associate in Ben Simons' group (2013-2015) and as a Herchel-Smith fellow (2015-2016).

Dr. Rulands' research bridges theoretical physics with biological applications, focusing on two primary areas: using statistical physics to understand collective behavior in artificial intelligence and robotic systems, and developing theoretical tools for analyzing genomic data with applications to development, regeneration, and aging. His work integrates concepts from non-equilibrium statistical physics, field theory, and machine learning to address complex biological questions.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong interdisciplinary approach, with research spanning epigenetics, DNA methylation dynamics during aging, gene expression fluctuations, and the physics of collective behavior in both biological and artificial systems. He has developed novel theoretical frameworks for understanding spatial patterns in biological systems, clonal dynamics in tissue development, and the statistical mechanics of aging processes.

• ERC Starting Grant awardee (2021)
• Herchel-Smith Fellow, University of Cambridge (2015-2016)

Prof. Rulands actively collaborates with experimentalists and clinicians, applying theoretical insights to personalized medicine. His research is supported by multiple funding sources including the European Research Council (ERC), EraPerMed, German Research Foundation (DFG), and LMUinnovative: Functional Nanosystems. He mentors a diverse team of PhD students, postdocs, and master's students working on cutting-edge interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of physics, biology, and computer science.