Ani obtained his PhD from University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where he worked with Prof. Les Loew. His PhD thesis uncovers the concept of solubility product in determining the phase separation threshold of multi-component biomolecular condensates. As part of the Virtual Cell team, he developed statistical routines (to analyze multivalent molecular clusters) for the SpringSaLaD and BioNetGen softwares designed to perform (spatial and non-spatial) stochastic simulations of multivalent protein interactions. Later he joined Harvard University as a postdoc to work with Prof. Eugene Shakhnovich. His main focus was to derive biophysical rules underlying the formation and function of sticker-spacer polymer condensates. At this stage, he conceptualized a passive mechanism of condensate size distribution in the language of sticker saturation within the liquid condensates. In June 2026, Ani joined Zwicker group to pursue another postdoc where he will focus on the biochemical activity of condensates and phase separation.

Mengmeng received her Ph.D. from Beihang University, where she worked with Prof. Dr. Masao Doi and Prof. Dr. Xingkun Man on the drying dynamics of droplets and their deposition patterns, using the Onsager Variational principle. She then joined the Polymer Theory Department at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research as a postdoc, working with Prof. Dr. Kurt Kremer on molecular dynamics simulations of polymer solution droplet evaporation, with a particular focus on glass transition and polymer structure assembly. In September 2025, she joined Zwicker group as a postdoc.

guido.kusters@ds.mpg.de

Guido obtained his PhD degree from Eindhoven University of Technology, where he worked on modeling the (non-)equilibrium behavior of various soft and responsive materials. During this time he was also a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford and Harvard University, where he explored excursions to active matter and nanocomposite self-assembly, respectively. Having recently become increasingly interested in biological systems, he joined the Zwicker group in the autumn of 2024 to study the spatiotemporal organization of biomolecular condensates.

oliver.paulin@ds.mpg.de
Personal webpage

Oliver previously studied for his Masters and D.Phil (PhD) degrees at the University of Oxford, before joining the Zwicker Group as a postdoc in 2023. Broadly, he is interested in fluid dynamics and soft matter physics, and their application to both biological and geophysical systems. During his D.Phil, he studied multiphase fluid flow through soft porous media, with a specific focus on the formation and collapse of ‘non-wetting cavities’ in poroelastic materials. His current research concerns phase separation in soft systems, with application to the behaviour of biomolecular condensates in cells. In his free time, Oliver can be found running around the hills and forests surrounding Göttingen.

chengjie.luo@ds.mpg.de
Personal webpage

Chengjie focuses on systems that are out of thermodynamic equilibrium, including supercooled liquids, glasses, and living cells. He develops theories and simulations to better understand the underlying principles of these systems comprising soft and active matter. Recently, he became interested in theories describing biomolecular condensates and phase separation.