Stefano Villa

Dr. Stefano Villa is a Group Leader and Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, leading interdisciplinary research at the intersection of biophysics, fluid dynamics, and cellular mechanics. He earned a Master's degree in Physics from the University of Milan (2014) and a PhD in Physics from the University of Montpellier (2018). His career includes postdoctoral work at the Charles Coulomb Laboratory (Montpellier) and BIOMETRA Department (University of Milan).

His research spans three main domains:

• Cilia-Driven Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics in the ventral third ventricle of mammalian brains, using particle tracking and immunostaining to decode flow patterns.
• Shear-Induced Cellular Responses in amoeba colonies, epithelial monolayers, and heart muscle fibers, integrating experimental microscopy with vertex modeling.
• Colloidal and Soft Matter Mechanics via rheomicroscopy and 3D tracking of microparticles near fluid interfaces.

His recent publications in Soft Matter, Nature Materials, and Cell Reports highlight his contributions to understanding tissue fluidification, stress-induced phase transitions, and interfacial particle dynamics. Collaborations span institutions including the University of Milan, IFOM Institute, and Charles Coulomb Laboratory.