Rulands Group
We use theoretical physics to understand novel forms of matter:
- The recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence give rise to the question of whether such systems exhibit emergent behavior they are not trained to do. By treating large artificial intelligences as a form of non-equilibrium matter we use tools from statistical physics to understand collective behavior in artificial intelligence and robotic systems.
- The availability of big biological data in genomics now gives rise to the opportunity to study biological systems with unprecedented molecular details. With a focus on epigenetics, we develop theoretical tools for inferring the properties of subcellular matter from such experiments, with applications to development, regeneration, and aging.
Apart from fundamental theoretical research, we heavily collaborate with experimentalists. Together with clinicians, we also apply our work to develop treatment strategies for personalized medicine.