Dr Makarchuk joins the team. Welcome Stas!

Stanislaw Makarchuk

Research Associate (01 April 2017 – 31 March 2019)

I am a postdoctoral researcher under the supervision of Dr Giorgio Volpe. I am interested in studying the individual and collective motility of bacteria in porous media. The motility of the bacteria as well as their biological behaviour depend on the structural properties of the medium, so by understanding the link between these parameters one can predict the behaviour of active matter in complex environments. During my PhD I studied the mechanical forces exerted by a cell while it adheres to a matrix made of soft hydrogels. During this time, I developed an optical microscope to combine traction force microscopy with single particle tracking by holographic microscopy. My master project was based on studying imbibition kinetics of polymer solutions inside spherical colloidal aggregates. Master and PhD project were both performed in the group of Dr Pascal Hebraud at the Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials in Strasbourg, France.