Based on the success of the first school on biological physics across scales organized in 2024, this school will explore the role of phase transitions in living systems, from molecules and organelles to organisms and ecosystems. This classic concept from statistical physics is finding new applications in biology, at all scales, that stimulate the development of new theoretical approaches and tools. At the molecular and cellular levels, phase separation drives the formation of biomolecular condensates and chromatin organization, while membrane phase transitions regulate the physical state and function of cellular interfaces, and cytoskeletal networks and tissue dynamics exhibit transitions reminiscent of active matter and jamming phenomena. At larger scales, phase transitions underpin neural activity, collective animal motion, and ecological resilience, highlighting connections between emergent phenomena in biology and critical transitions in physical systems. The study of these biological phenomena, in turn, stimulates the development of new theoretical frameworks, such as the study of non-equilibrium dynamics, highly multicomponent mixtures, network dynamics, stochastic processes, and criticality in active systems. The goal of this school is to bring together experts on these different systems and approaches to engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue with students from all over South America.
Application deadline: October 31, 2025
Click HERE for online application