Universality in Biology

Chiu Fan Lee Mini bio: I obtained a Joint Honours Degree in Mathematics and Physics from McGill University in 2000, completing an Honours Thesis on number theory and elliptic curves. I then pursued a Master of Advanced Study in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge (2001), specialising in quantum information theory and theoretical physics, followed by a DPhil in Physics at the University of Oxford (2005). After my doctorate, I remained in Oxford as a research fellow, during which I gradually transitioned my focus towards biological physics. I subsequently joined the Biological Physics Division at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems in Dresden before taking up a lectureship at Imperial College London in 2012. I am currently co-Director of the Imperial Network of Excellence in Physics of Life and serve on the committee of the Institute of Physics Biological Physics Group. [CV]

Sulaimaan Lim (1st supervisor: Julien Vermot)

Alastar Phelan

Sam Whitby (2nd supervisor: Tom Ouldridge)

Matthew Wong (starting in October 2025)

MRes/MEng students

• Kaan Aksoy (MEng, 2025)
Optimization of Chemotherapy Dosage for Leukemia Patients


• Darshini Prem (MEng, 2025)
Mathematically Modelling Disease Progression in Parkinson’s Patients


• Yunpeng Tao (MEng, 2025)
Modeling Antibiotic Resistance Dynamics : Multi-Factor Analysis Including Bacterial Conjugation and Immune Control


• Ella Stanbury (MEng, 2024)
Alzheimer’s Disease: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Emerging Drug Donanemab


• Jay Sivasirikarul (MEng, 2022)
A Study on Pattern Formation in Zebrafish


• Tarane Subramaniam (MEng, 2022)
Project: Modelling the Motility and Proliferative Dynamics of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in the Bone Marrow


• Amar Dhanda (MEng, 2021)
Project: Modelling Clinical Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease: 68% of Demented Participant’s are expected to transition from Mild Cognitive Impairment to Severe Alzheimer’s Disease within 4 years 5 months


• Conor Murphy (MSc, 2021)
Project: Evidence for a dominant Haematopoietic Stem Cell Megakaryocyte-CXCL12 Abundant Reticular Cell-Sinusoid Localisation in the Murine Bone Marrow
(co-supervisor: Prof Cristina Lo Celso)


• Joao Pereira (MEng, 2021)
Project: A Mapping Between The Renormalization Group and Deep Learning


• Alisdair Stevenson (MEng, 2021)
Project: Biophysical Modelling of the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease


• Taoran Feng, Xueyan Li, Nina Rimsky, Clara Rodrigo Gonzalez, Wasim Silmi, and Nicholas Simpson,
  (3rd year MEng group project, 2019)
Project: Physiological monitoring of anesthetised mouse
(co-supervisor: Dr Cristina Lo Celso)


• Khalid Alfanney, Nikolaos Katsis, Praneeth Vedagiri, Samuel Bradley, Sarah Pizem, and Thibault Mercier
  (3rd year MEng group project, 2019)
Project: Physiological monitoring of anesthetised mouse
(co-supervisor: Dr Cristina Lo Celso)


• Ali Malik, George Meek, Peter Miller, Joshua Pope, Paul Roever, Kwarteng Sarfo, and Matthew Sargent
  (3rd year MEng group project, 2018)
Project: Physiological monitoring of anesthetised mouse [device design can be found here]
Award: Best poster presentation by academic vote
(co-supervisor: Dr Cristina Lo Celso)


• Mathilde Placek (MEng, 2018)
Project: Computational modelling of wound healing


• Tara Hameed (MRes in Life Sciences, 2018)
Project: Dynamics of stem cells in the mouse bone marrow
(co-supervisor: Dr Cristina Lo Celso)


• Ibrahim Asim (BEng, 2017)
Project: Music of the cell
(co-supervisor: Prof Kim Parker)


• Cédric de Bras De Fer (visiting student from the Grenoble Institute of Technology, summer 2016)
Project: Monte Carlo simulation of peptides


• Xiao Yao (MEng, 2016)
Project: Computational Modelling of Morphological Dynamics in Arabidopsis Thaliana


• Maria Bogdanov (MEng exchange student from Grenoble, 2016)
Project: Music of the cell
(co-supervisor: Prof Kim Parker)


• Boonyisa Boonthongrungtawee (BEng, 2016)
Project: Modelling the tearing situations of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament


• George Taylor (BEng, 2016)
Project: The Kinetics of Amyloid Fibril Elongation


• Christopher Morris (MSc, 2015)
Project: Alzheimer’s disease: decreased cell control of ion transport


• Simone Cenci (Erasmus student, 2015)
Project: A field-theoretical approach to the non-universal properties of non-equilibrium stationary states (co-supervisor: Dr Gunnar Pruessner)


• Ching Liu (Imperial College UROP student, summer 2015)
Project: Tissue growth: A simulation study


• Thibault Enderlé (MSc, 2014)
Project: Morphological dynamics in self-repairing tissues
(co-supervisor: Dr Giovanni Sena)


• Xiao Yao (Imperial College UROP student, summer 2014)
Project: Tissue growth: A simulation study


• Bertrand Lacroix-à-chez-toine (visiting student from the Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University, summer 2014)
Project: Interfacial instability in active matter


• Veena Salim (visiting student from the National University of Singapore, summer 2014)
Project: The von Willibrand factors under shear flow


• Romain Blanc (visiting student from the Grenoble Institute of Technology, summer 2014)
Project: Kinetics of amyloid fibril elongation


• Ugonna Urji (BEng, 2013)
  Project: Cell division by design
  Award: Best BEng project poster as voted for by the industrial visitors on the presentation day
  

• Yuqiao Zheng (MSc, 2012)
  Project: Measuring the porosity structure and permeability of the mineralised tissue supporting the articular cartilage layer in a mouse model of osteoarthritis disease
  (co-supervisor: Dr Massimo Marenzana)