Andrej Košmrlj

Košmrlj joined the Princeton faculty in 2015, where he works on theoretical and computational research of complex systems ranging from materials science to the physics of living systems. Current research includes the design and mechanics of metamaterials, where the geometrical shape of structures gives rise to unusual material properties. This includes the role of geometry and topology on the mechanics of structures both at the macro-scale and at the micro-scale, where effects of thermal fluctuations and disorder could be important if one wants to design flexible electronics, sensitive force sensors, or micro-actuators. Current research also investigates the role of mechanics in biological systems, such as mechanics in morphogenesis during embryo development. Based on this work, we are currently designing an optogenetic system to make artificial organs. Current research also includes phase separation in multicomponent systems, which has implications for materials science as well as cellular biology.

In 2006, Košmrlj obtained Diploma (B. Sc.) in Mathematical Physics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his graduate studies in physics, where he was co-advised by Arup Chakraborty and Mehran Kardar. For his Ph.D. thesis, Košmrlj studied the development of an adaptive immune system and its response to infecting microorganisms. After receiving Ph.D. in 2011, Košmrlj became a postdoc with David Nelson at Harvard University, where he worked on the mechanics of thin membranes and metamaterials.