معرفی
Silke Henkes is an Associate Professor in the Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) at Leiden University, within the Faculty of Science. Her research lies at the intersection of theoretical soft condensed matter physics and biophysics, with a strong focus on active and living materials.
Her work explores the mechanics of epithelial cell sheets through particle-based and vertex models, aiming to understand collective cell motion and rigidity transitions in biological systems. She is a key member of the SLAM (Soft, Living & Active Matter) collaboration, which unites theoretical and experimental efforts at LION.
Her recent research, including the 2023 publication in Soft Matter on individual-based models of cell motion, demonstrates a consistent focus on modeling active biological systems and jamming phenomena. These studies span subfields such as collective migration, vertex modeling, and computational biophysics.
She has been recognized through academic positions at leading institutions, including postdoctoral work at Leiden and Syracuse Universities, and Lecturer roles at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Bristol, before returning to Leiden in 2022.
Silke Henkes leads the Henkes Group, which investigates the fundamental physics underlying living and active matter. Her group combines statistical mechanics with biological modeling to explore emergent behaviors in multicellular systems.
