Massimo Vergassola

Massimo Vergassola is a Professor at École Normale Supérieure-PSL (ENS-PSL) in Paris and Director of the ENS-PSL Center for Quantitative Biology. His research bridges physics and life sciences, focusing on the physics of living systems with emphasis on embryonic development, animal behavior, and biological navigation. He holds a joint appointment as CNRS Directeur de Recherche and leads initiatives at the PariSanté Campus Val-de-Grâce, integrating institutions like Inserm and Inria.

• Education: Laurea in Physics (University La Sapienza, Rome, 1985-1990); PhD in Physics (University Nice-Sophia Antipolis, 1990-1993); Post-doc at Princeton University (1994-1995)

His research spans fluid dynamics, statistical physics, and biophysics, addressing problems like olfactory navigation, chemotaxis, cell size control, and mitotic wave dynamics. Recent work explores Bayesian search strategies in turbulent flows and topological interactions in developmental biology.

His 15 most recent articles reveal a focus on olfactory search algorithms, embryonic patterning, gene regulation, and turbulent transport. Keywords include Biophysics, Computational Biology, and Nonlinear Dynamics.

• Scientific Awards: APS Fellow, APS Outstanding Referee, CNRS Bronze Medal, Fondation de France Thérèse Lebrasseur Prize, EADS Grand Prix, and Accademia dei Lincei student award

Vergassola contributes to academic governance via editorial boards (Physics Reports, JSTAT) and grant committees (Human Frontier Science Project). His lab at ENS-PSL collaborates with institutions like Harvard Center for Quantitative Biology and Pasteur Institute.