Arthur Hernandez obtained his PhD in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, under Professors Cristina Marchetti and Mark Bowick, working on the theoretical mechanics and flow of biological tissues, specifically questions on tissue rigidity and the interplay between cell shape and macroscopic tissue rheological properties. After his studies, Arthur was a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Luca Giomi at Leiden University, working on problems of self-organization in Hydra morphogenesis and defect-mediated melting of curved two-dimensional crystalline surfaces, in collaboration with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. In the fall of 2026, Arthur joined Dr. David Zwicker's group as a postdoctoral researcher to study droplet shape dynamics in phase-separated reactive systems. He is broadly interested in the intersection of geometry and continuum mechanics in soft and active matter. In his free time, Arthur enjoys practicing the piano and collecting books.

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.

henri.schmidt@ds.mpg.de

Henri studied in Heidelberg, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark before joining the Zwicker lab as a PhD candidate in 2024. While for his undergraduate studies he focused on cell motility utilizing phase fields as well as optimal transport and Wasserstein distances, he investigated active turbulences modeled by nematics at the Niels-Bohr Institute in Copenhagen. Continuing researching on soft matter physics, he nowadays takes interest in phase separation within multi-component systems, e.g., inside cells, where a multitude of proteins interact with each other. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, acting, rowing and sailing  as well as generally speaking being outside.

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.

Personal Webpage

I studied Physics at the University of Bayreuth, with a strong focus on condensed matter systems and non-equillibrium dynamics. For my Bachelor’s thesis, I investigated the effect of temperature on the dispersion of surface plasmons. For my Master’s thesis, I theoretically described pattern formation and dynamic defects in ferromagnetic superconductors. I joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student in December 2023 and am interested in the principles and applications of controlling the motion 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.

riccardo.rossetto@ds.mpg.de

I studied Physics of Complex Systems at Politecnico di Torino. For my master thesis, I worked on a model of phase separation on fluid membranes, which coupled the self-aggregation process with surface fluctuations. I joined David Zwicker’s group Theory of Biological Fluids as a PhD student in the fall of 2022. I am interested in statistical physics applications to biological systems, both from a theoretical and a computational perspective.

gerrit.wellecke@ds.mpg.de

I studied Physics at the Georg-August-University Goettingen. For my bachelor’s thesis, I worked with Prof. Dr. Peter Sollich on a coarse-graining approach for stochastic dynamics. For my master’s thesis, I investigated the relaxation of driven diffusive systems in the Mathematical bioPhysics Group of Aljaz Godec at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences. I joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student in the autumn of 2022 and am interested in statistical physics and thermodynamics and how these frameworks can describe biological phenomena, such as phase separation.

marcel.ernst@ds.mpg.de

Marcel studied Physics at the Georg-August-University Göttingen. For his Master's thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization he was researching the stability and numerical simulation of convection in dry salt lakes aiming to understand the origin of characteristic polygonal patterns in salt playa. After several years at the University of Kassel working on simulations of electrical grids and especially the integration of eMobility he joined the group of David Zwicker as a Ph.D. student. Interested in more theoretical approaches in fluid physics he works on the physical description of condensates involved in meiosis. In his free time he likes to go bouldering, hiking and generally being outside.