Non-Equilibrium Systems, Emergent Materials and Active Matter

Statistical physics in the twentieth century was dominated by the study of systems at or near thermal equilibrium, but the past two decades have seen an increased focus on far-from-equilibrium behavior. This shift has been driven by many factors, including breakthroughs in basic theory; novel experimental tools for manipulating nanoscale objects; insights from dynamical systems and computer simulations; and a growing appreciation that the molecular processes that sustain life occur away from equilibrium. Non-equilibrium dynamics play a crucial role in the growth and response of novel materials, as well as in the behavior of systems at astrophysical length scales, such as plasmas and in the formation of high-energy cosmic rays. The field of active matter has recently emerged as an exciting area of non-equilibrium statistical physics. Active matter refers to systems containing many individual units or "agents," such as molecular motors attached to cytoskeleton cells in a sample of living tissue or schooling fish, each of which directionally moves under the power of an energy source. The collective behavior of active matter emerges from the non-equilibrium dynamics of the agents. 

 

Faculty

Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and IPST
Office: IPST 2115
Phone: 301-405-8049
Professor Emeritus, IPST
Office: IPST 1108
Phone: 301-405-4804
Distinguished University Professor, IPST
Office: AVW 3311
Phone: 301-405-1471
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and IPST
Office: CHM 2341
Phone: 301-405-7996
Professor, IPST
Office: AVW 3341
Phone: 301-405-1610
Distinguished University Professor,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
IPST, Department of Physics
Office: 2106 IPST Bldg.
Phone: 301-405-4439
Professor Emeritus, IPST
Office: IPST 1110
Phone: 301-405-4801
MPower Professor
Professor, IPST
Professor, Department of Physics
Co-Director, NCI-UMD Partnership for Integrative Cancer Research
Office: PSC 1147
Phone: 301-405-0629
Professor of Mathematics and IPST
Office: MATH 2106
Phone: 301-405-5455
Professor of Mathematics and IPST
Office: MATH 3310
Phone: 301-405-5145
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry & IPST
Office: CHM 2216
Phone: 301-405-8667
Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, IPST
Office: IPST 2117
Phone: 301-405-4805
Distinguished University Professor
College Park Professor, IPST
Office: ATL 4211
Phone: 301-405-4878
Millard and Lee Alexander Professor in Chemical Physics and IPST
Office: IPST 1115A
Phone: 301-405-2148
Co-Director of the Biophysics Program
Professor, Department of Physics, IPST
Office: PSC 1151
Phone: 301-405-9939
Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Chemistry and Biochemistry & IPST
Office: IPST 1108
Phone: 301-405-4802
Distinguished University Professor Emerita, Physics and IPST
Office: IPST 1111
Phone: 301-405-3291
Adjunct Assistant Professor, IPST
Visiting Assistant Professor, UMIACS
Office: ATL 3100F
Phone: 301-314-1899