M. Cristina Marchetti

M. Cristina Marchetti is a Professor of Physics and Director of the Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She holds a PhD from the University of Florida and has been at UCSB since 2018, following a 30-year tenure at Syracuse University where she served as Department Chair and Associate Director of the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute.

Her research focuses on the emergent behavior of active matter, including biological tissues, collectively migrating cells, and nonequilibrium systems. She employs theoretical and computational approaches to study self-organization in complex systems, particularly in active nematics and epithelial mechanics. Marchetti is a co-Lead Editor of *Physical Review X* (2016–2021) and *Annual Reviews of Condensed Matter Physics*, and serves on the Leadership Board of the Boulder School for Condensed Matter and Materials Physics since 2005.

• Education:
  • PhD in Physics, University of Florida, USA
  • Bachelor's/Master's at University of Pavia, Italy

Marchetti has received prestigious honors including Fellowships from the American Physical Society and AAAS, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and US National Academy of Sciences, and the 2019 Leo P. Kadanoff Prize. Her work bridges statistical physics, soft matter, and biological systems, with applications to tissue mechanics, collective dynamics, and nonequilibrium phenomena.

Her research group investigates active matter systems using bottom-up modeling and top-down phenomenology, exploring topics like defect dynamics, phase separation, and fluid-structure interactions in biological contexts. Current projects include studying epithelial rigidity, active nematic flows, and the interplay between mechanics and biological processes.