Pierre Haas

Pierre Haas is a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, alongside the Center for Systems Biology Dresden (CSBD). He holds academic appointments since 2021, focusing on biophysical mechanisms underlying morphogenesis. Previously, he was a Hooke Research Fellow (2020–2021) at the University of Oxford and a Nevile Research Fellow in Applied Mathematics (2017–2020) at the University of Cambridge. His education includes a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Cambridge (2013–2017), supervised by Prof. Raymond E. Goldstein, and a BA/MMath in Mathematics from Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge (2009–2013).

Haas’s research interests center on the mechanics of morphogenesis, particularly cell sheet folding, epithelial mechanics, and nonlinear elasticity. His work integrates theoretical models with experimental systems like Volvox embryos and hepatoblast development. Recent studies explore how mechanical forces shape tissues, including buckling phenomena, stress distribution in epithelia, and the role of extracellular matrices in cell polarization.

His publications span topics such as epithelial T1 transitions, Volvox embryonic inversion, and the biophysics of tissue pressure. While no scientific awards are explicitly listed, his interdisciplinary approach bridges applied mathematics, developmental biology, and materials science. Haas leads a research group at MPI and CSBD, actively contributing to systems biology and biophysical modeling.