Active fluid models for cells dynamics: modeling and analysis

Supervision

Laurent Navoret and Benjamin Melinand (IRMA, Strasbourg)

Laboratory and team

IRMA, Strasbourg - Teams MOCO and Analysis

Subject description

During embryogenesis and healing processes, cellular tissues are the site of large-scale cellular movements. Identifying the key biological or physical principles underlying these movements is the subject of much current fundamental research. The PhD thesis will particularly focus on the impact on the boundaries. For instance, active surrounding active cables have been shown to have a key role in the development of motions, in which the boundaries are active actin cables. As the number of the involved cells could be of the order of hundreds or thousands, fluid like models have been considered. They describe the time evolution of the macroscopic density and mean velocity and their analysis can provide concrete criteria for the emergence of collective motion. The main steps of the PhD will be: modeling (apropriate boundary conditions), analysis of the model (stability and global existence property around stationary solutions) and numerical simulations.

Related mathematical skills

The PhD student must have advanced knowledge in functional analysis and partial differential equations. He or she must also have an appetite for modeling and numerical simulations.

Other public funding

Candidates recruited as PhDs will benefit from IRMIA++ funding and will have to follow the Graduate Program "Mathematics and Applications: Research and Interactions" (https://irmiapp.unistra.fr/training/presentation).

IRMIA++ is one of the 15 Interdisciplinary Thematic Institute (ITI) of the University of Strasbourg. It brings together a research cluster and a master-doctorate training program, relying on 12 research teams and 9 master tracks.

It encompasses all mathematicians at Université de Strasbourg, with partners in computer science and physics. ITI IRMIA++ builds on the internationally renowned research in mathematics in Strasbourg, and its well-established links with the socio-economic environment. It promotes interdisciplinary academic collaborations and industrial partnerships.

A core part of the IRMIA++ mission is to realize high-level training through integrated master-PhD tracks over 5 years, with common actions fostering an interdisciplinary culture, such as joint projects, new courses and workshops around mathematics and its interactions.

Selection will rely on the professional project of the candidate, his/her interest for interdisciplinarity and academic results.