The Mugler group investigates cell behavior using statistical physics. We are tackling problems from the molecular to the population scale, from bacteria to cancer, often in collaboration with experimental groups. We seek the physical principles of life. Current projects include:

Precision of cell sensing. Cells have evolved to sense their environment as precisely as physically possible. Using physical principles, we have derived precision limits to concentration sensing, flow sensing, temperature sensing, and single-cell decision-making, and tested these limits with experimental collaborators.

Cell division control. How do cells know when to divide? This deceptively simple question has been debated for over a century and has been reinvigorated in recent years by new microfluidic experiments. We are unraveling the molecular underpinnings of division control and testing our predictions with experimental collaborators.

Microbial growth and coexistence. The fastest-growing microbial populations should dominate a given environment, but instead, modern data reveal astonishing microbial diversity. How do so many populations coexist? We are investigating the physical mechanisms of microbial coexistence, including exploiting environmental fluctuations and forming spatial structures. We are seeing these mechanisms borne out by experimental collaborators investigating bacterial biofilms and bacterial colonization of tumors.

See mugler.pitt.edu for more information and our latest publications.