معرفی
Peter Foster is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southern California, affiliated with the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. He leads the Foster Lab at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience and Bridge Institute, where he investigates the physics of living systems through the lenses of active matter and physical bioenergetics.
Education includes:
- Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University (2017)
- B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from The University of Iowa (2011)
- Postdoctoral training as Research Scientist at Brandeis University (2021-2022)
- Physics of Living Systems Fellow at MIT (2017-2021)
His research explores energy transduction and emergent behaviors in biological systems across scales, using experimental biophysics and quantitative modeling. Primary investigations focus on cytoskeletal dynamics, nonequilibrium thermodynamics in cells, and self-organizing properties of active biomaterials. The Foster Lab employs interdisciplinary approaches combining optical microscopy, microfabrication, and theoretical frameworks to decode mechanical principles governing cellular processes.
Recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate consistent focus on active matter physics, with methodological advances in measuring energy dissipation in cytoskeletal networks and uncovering new instability regimes in biological assemblies. Works frequently integrate concepts from soft matter physics, information theory, and biochemical kinetics to establish quantitative models of cellular energetics.
No scientific awards are documented in available materials.
Current lab activities center on developing novel experimental platforms for studying active emulsions and chiral crystals in biological contexts, with particular emphasis on nonequilibrium pattern formation. Collaborative projects involve cross-disciplinary teams exploring energy propagation in mitochondrial networks and mechanochemical feedback in developmental systems.
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