2022 March Meeting (Chicago 14-18 March) we are organising a Focus Session on the area at the intersection between active matter and microbial ecology:

Session: 04.01.14 “Statistical Mechanics of Active Matter and Microbial Ecology”

Microbial life is at the base of all ecosystems. Its ecodynamics results from a complex network of biological, chemical and physical interactions amongst the cells and between cells and their environment. In recent years, it is becoming increasingly clear that physical aspects of these interactions play an important role in determining the dynamics of microbial populations in nature. This is particularly true for processes that involve dynamic collective phenomena involving single or multiple populations of microorganisms, which can involve an interplay between biophysical interactions and cell-cell communication. In this context, ideas and approaches borrowed from active matter can further and deepen our understanding of microbial ecology. In this focus session we solicit contributions from researchers working on problems in microbial ecology (broadly defined) with an active matter perspective. The aim is to help strengthen the community working on microbial biophysics and promote it as an important and fascinating area where non-equilibrium physics can bring significant and unexpected contributions.  

The deadline for submission, Oct 22, is approaching fast! We hope that you will consider submitting an abstract to this session and look forward to seeing you in Chicago.