Monday, 8th of June at 11:30, we have the pleasure to listen to Laura Alvarez from CRPP, Université de Bordeaux. The title of Mark’s talk is:
** Non-equilibrium soft matter: from active colloids to synthetic cells **
and the abstract is below.
This seminar will take place at the seminar room of Gulliver C1.62 at 11:30.
Living cells operate far from equilibrium, converting energy dissipation into motion, shape
changes, transport and adaptive responses. Reproducing such behaviours in minimal synthetic
systems is a central challenge in soft matter physics, both to identify the physical ingredients
required for life-like dynamics and to design functional microscopic materials [1].
In this talk, I will discuss our approach to non-equilibrium soft matter, moving from active colloids
to deformable, cell-inspired compartments. I will first give a brief overview of hard active colloids
as minimal platforms to program motility under external fields. These systems provide useful
model experiments to understand how activity, confinement and crowding control transport and
organization at the microscale [3,4].
I will then focus on giant unilamellar vesicles driven out of equilibrium. In contrast to rigid colloids,
lipid vesicles present a powerful minimal models of synthetic cells, where the membrane is not
only a passive boundary but a material layer that controls dynamical states, enabling the engineering
of life-like non-equilibrium behaviors [2]. I will present our recent results on active Janus GUVs
under external actuation, including run-and-tumble-like dynamics emerging from the coupling
between propulsion and phase-separated lipid membranes [5]. I will further discuss how electric
fields and light can induce controlled deformations, protrusions and division-like events [6,7].
Together, these results show how non-equilibrium lipid compartments can bridge active matter
and synthetic cell research, providing a route toward microscopic systems that not only move, but
also reconfigure, deform and execute cell-like physical functions.
[1] G.Volpe, N. A. M. Araújo, M. Guix, M. Miodownik, N.Martin, L. Alvarez, et.al., Animated
Matter Roadmap (2025)
[2] V. Willems, P. Moreno, J. Fojo, L. Rodriguez-Arco, L.Alvarez. Life-like processes in synthetic
protocells under external fields. Newton (2026)
[3] A. Cazorla, M. L. Jiménez Olivares, R. Rica-Alarcón, C. Fernández-Rico, L. Alvarez. Field-
programmed dynamical states control active microrod navigation in porous media. Under review
(2026)
[4] L. Alvarez, E. Sensé-Sansa, D. Levis, I. Pagonabarraga, L. Isa. Under review (2026)
[5] V. Willems, A. Baron, D. A. Matoz-Fernandez, G. Wolfisberg, E. Dufresne, J. C. Baret, and
L. Alvarez. Soft Matter (2025).
[6] J. Fojo, J.Agudo-Canalejo, L. Alvarez (in preparation)
[7] Villalobos-Concha, Muñoz-Basagoiti, Saric, L. Alvarez (in preparation)
** Non-equilibrium soft matter: from active colloids to synthetic cells **
and the abstract is below.
This seminar will take place at the seminar room of Gulliver C1.62 at 11:30.
Living cells operate far from equilibrium, converting energy dissipation into motion, shape
changes, transport and adaptive responses. Reproducing such behaviours in minimal synthetic
systems is a central challenge in soft matter physics, both to identify the physical ingredients
required for life-like dynamics and to design functional microscopic materials [1].
In this talk, I will discuss our approach to non-equilibrium soft matter, moving from active colloids
to deformable, cell-inspired compartments. I will first give a brief overview of hard active colloids
as minimal platforms to program motility under external fields. These systems provide useful
model experiments to understand how activity, confinement and crowding control transport and
organization at the microscale [3,4].
I will then focus on giant unilamellar vesicles driven out of equilibrium. In contrast to rigid colloids,
lipid vesicles present a powerful minimal models of synthetic cells, where the membrane is not
only a passive boundary but a material layer that controls dynamical states, enabling the engineering
of life-like non-equilibrium behaviors [2]. I will present our recent results on active Janus GUVs
under external actuation, including run-and-tumble-like dynamics emerging from the coupling
between propulsion and phase-separated lipid membranes [5]. I will further discuss how electric
fields and light can induce controlled deformations, protrusions and division-like events [6,7].
Together, these results show how non-equilibrium lipid compartments can bridge active matter
and synthetic cell research, providing a route toward microscopic systems that not only move, but
also reconfigure, deform and execute cell-like physical functions.
[1] G.Volpe, N. A. M. Araújo, M. Guix, M. Miodownik, N.Martin, L. Alvarez, et.al., Animated
Matter Roadmap (2025)
[2] V. Willems, P. Moreno, J. Fojo, L. Rodriguez-Arco, L.Alvarez. Life-like processes in synthetic
protocells under external fields. Newton (2026)
[3] A. Cazorla, M. L. Jiménez Olivares, R. Rica-Alarcón, C. Fernández-Rico, L. Alvarez. Field-
programmed dynamical states control active microrod navigation in porous media. Under review
(2026)
[4] L. Alvarez, E. Sensé-Sansa, D. Levis, I. Pagonabarraga, L. Isa. Under review (2026)
[5] V. Willems, A. Baron, D. A. Matoz-Fernandez, G. Wolfisberg, E. Dufresne, J. C. Baret, and
L. Alvarez. Soft Matter (2025).
[6] J. Fojo, J.Agudo-Canalejo, L. Alvarez (in preparation)
[7] Villalobos-Concha, Muñoz-Basagoiti, Saric, L. Alvarez (in preparation)
- Cet(te) évènement est passé(e).