Ivan Palaia

Dr. Ivan Palaia is a Lecturer in Biological Physics at King’s College London’s Department of Physics, part of the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences. His research focuses on nonequilibrium self-assembly processes in soft matter systems, combining computational physics with coarse-grained modeling. He holds a PhD from Paris-Saclay University (2019) and completed postdoctoral fellowships at UCL and IST Austria, specializing in biophysics and soft matter simulations. His work spans cell membrane mechanics, cytoskeletal dynamics, active matter, and cement cohesion physics.

• Education:
  • BSc in Physical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (2014, cum laude)
  • MSc in Physics of Complex Systems, Politecnico di Torino and Paris-Saclay (2016, mention très bien)
  • PhD in Physics, Paris-Saclay University (2019)

Research interests include understanding how energy-driven nonequilibrium processes organize cellular components, leveraging computational methods to model systems like biomolecular condensates, active colloids, and non-equilibrium membrane remodeling. His work bridges statistical physics and biological systems, with notable contributions to collagen network dynamics and chiral active fluids.

Key achievements include IST-BRIDGE Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships (2022-2024), a Best Talk Prize at the 2021 IOP Early Career Researcher Workshop, and interdisciplinary grants. He collaborates on projects funded by ISTA and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, emphasizing translational research between physics and life sciences.

Teaching responsibilities include leading King’s College’s Advanced Biophysics module and previous roles as a teaching assistant at UCL and substitute mathematics instructor in Paris.