Julien Tailleur

Julien Tailleur is an Associate Professor of Physics at MIT's Physics Department. He joined MIT in July 2022, following roles at CNRS and Université Paris Diderot (2011–2022), where he was a CNRS Director of Research since 2018. His research focuses on active matter and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, particularly the emergent behaviors of active systems like phase separation and collective motion. Tailleur's work bridges theoretical frameworks with biological applications, such as microbial ecosystems and cellular systems.

Education: B.Sc. in Mathematics (Université Pierre et Marie Curie), B.Sc. in Physics (Université d'Orsay, Paris), Ph.D. in Physics (UPMC, 2007) under Jorge Kurchan. Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Edinburgh (EPSRC-funded) with Michael Cates and Martin Evans.

Research Interests: Active matter, motility-induced phase separation, non-equilibrium systems, biophysical applications. Key contributions include discovering how active systems phase-separate without attraction and analyzing their mechanical properties and collective motion.

• Awards:
  • Tel Aviv University Prize in Biophysics (2025)
  • Journal of Physics A Emerging Talent (2017)
  • EPSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2010)
  • Journal of Physics A Best Paper Prize (2009)
  • JSTAT Prize for Young Scientists (2007)
• Labs/Teams: Active Matter Theory Group at MIT, affiliated with MIT Biophysics.