Isabelle Eisenmann
Postdoc @fluidlab, University of Amsterdam
PhD @LPENS
Biophysics of photosynthetic micro-organisms
- Reposted by Isabelle EisenmannHow do phototactic microorganisms navigate structured light fields? 🦠🔬 We show that their motion depends on both the light gradient and a memory of illumination. By exploiting this, we can guide and confine microalgae using tailored light patterns. @comedialkb.bsky.social arxiv.org/pdf/2601.07741
- Our work on hydrodynamic instabilities in active jets is on the cover of PRL this week! journals.aps.org/prl/abstract... A dialogue between experiment and theory, where we use light to control active suspensions and show how they can be destabilized by their self-generated flows
- When C.reinhardtii cells swim one behind each other, they tend to pull on their neighbors, leading to a pearling instability. In contrast, when they swim side to side, they push on their neighbors, leading to a buckling instability. We control both by steering these phototactic cells with light.
- A jet breaks into droplets that elongate into ellipses...in turn unstable to buckling, as soon as they are thin enough for one wavelength to develop. We end up with these structures that can also be understood through symmetry arguments - see this beautiful work: journals.aps.org/prl/abstract...
- We detail the generalized theory as well as the long-term dynamics of the instabilities in the companion paper : journals.aps.org/prfluids/abs... Thanks to the brilliant Marco Vona, Eric Lauga and Takuji Ishikawa - and of course huge thanks to my advisors Raphaël and Nicolas!
- Reposted by Isabelle Eisenmann🎧 Conseil podcast du weekend Je conseille vivement les replays de cet excellent colloque du Collège de France qui explore la relation entre #genre et #sciences. Bonne écoute ! 🖱Disponible sur l'application Radio France, et sur www.college-de-france.fr/fr/agenda/gr...
- Happy to share that our work on active phase separation by photophobic microalgae is now published in PRL! journals.aps.org/prl/abstract... When surrounded by multiple light sources, cells hide behind each other, leading to the quick formation of a macroscopic branching pattern.
- We show that the coupling between negative phototaxis and light absorption by the green algae destabilizes the suspension at critical cell densities/light intensities while the nonlocality of vision interactions explains the selection of a finite wavelength.
- A collaboration between physicists, biologists and chemists. Algae inside the dense phase are collectively protected from photodamage, showing that phototaxis can complement efficiently molecular photoprotective mechanisms on short timescales.
- See this nice summary in Physics Magazine (where I note an important difference between algae and penguins): physics.aps.org/articles/v18...
- Reposted by Isabelle Eisenmann#CNRSnews 📰 Energy transition is a myth, based on the misconception that energy sources were replaced by “cleaner” alternatives over the past 200 years. Carbon emissions have actually increased, hence the need for better informed strategies to fight global warming news.cnrs.fr/articles/the...
- Reposted by Isabelle EisenmannUpcoming Symposium! Physics of Adaptation and Decision making in Biology! When: September 16 Where: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Join us here: www.fluidlab.nl/padm25 Speakers: Ray Goldstein, Sujit Datta, @thomasshimizu.bsky.social, @mirnakramar.bsky.social, @blarson.bsky.social, me
- Reposted by Isabelle EisenmannThe call is now officially open, with a deadline at the end of July! ⏳ If you are interested in applying, don’t hesitate to contact me. 🔬🦠
- Reposted by Isabelle Eisenmann
We are living the hottest June on record after infamous June 2003 🔥 At high elevation, consequences of lack of freezing are obvious: a lake has formed on the glacier at Punta Helbronner (~3300 m) Crazy... not the first time, but it's a sign of how hot it gets at high altitude! 📸 @skywaymontebianco - Reposted by Isabelle Eisenmann🦠🔬 PhD positions available 🔬🦠 If you’re curious about light–matter interactions and collective behaviour in living systems, check out the attachment for more details. 📝 The official call will be published soon, but informal expressions of interest are already welcome!
- The school of physics was founded in 1951 by Cécile DeWitt-Morette, a French physicist then postdoc in the US. This picture of the Mer de Glace, which is displayed in the school, was taken two years before; since then it has lost ~2,5km in length and 200m in thickness.
- Another picture displayed in the school shows the Glacier des Bossons as seen from Chamonix a century ago.
- Here is another view of the Glacier des Bossons that I paired with the current picture.
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View full threadI was surprised that the Compagnie du Mt Blanc doesn't mention climate change in their ~2h exhibition on Mont Blanc massif and mountaineering at the Aiguille du Midi. Yet the station is covered with sensors to anticipate rock falls and weakening of the structure due to the melting of permafrost.
- Les Houches! Thanks to the organizers and all the participants for a great week of Soft matter & Biophysics in this stunning place
- Reposted by Isabelle Eisenmann“...to care is an act not of weakness, but of strength.” The Lancet response: bit.ly/4jRb5Av
