Eleni Katifori

Eleni Katifori, PhD, is the Head of the independent research group Physics of Biological Organization at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, Germany (since 2012). She holds a B.Sc. in Physics from the National University of Athens (1997–2002), and an MA and PhD in Physics from Harvard University (2002–2008), under Prof. David Nelson. Post-doctoral research followed at Rockefeller University (2008–2012).

Her research focuses on the physics of biological systems, particularly the organization of vascular networks, folding mechanics of intricate geometries, and thin shell elasticity. She integrates tools from physics, mathematics, and computer science to study morphological and functional attributes of organisms.

Selected publications emphasize network architecture, elastic systems, and natural design principles. No awards are explicitly listed, but her work appears on journal covers (e.g., PRL, PNAS). Advising and grants details are not provided in the text. Her group is affiliated with the GGNB program Physics of Biological and Complex Systems (IMPRS).