The International Conference on Biological Physics 2023 (ICBP) took place in Seoul, Korea from August 14 to 18, hosted by the Korean Physical Society. ICBP 2023 explores the recent progress in biological physics research based on the rich heritage from 30 years of past endeavors, providing the seed for another 30 years of research growth in our field of excellence.
At this conference, three PoL members received different prizes. The IUPAP medal for Physics of Life 2023 and the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize were announced in March, and the ceremony was held at the conference.
The PoL affiliate, Prof. Dr. Frank Jülicher, from Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI PKS), was awarded the IUPAP medal for Physics of Life 2023. The prize is shared between him and Prof. Dr. John J. Hopfield, Howard A. Prior Professor in the Life Sciences, Emeritus, from Princeton University. This prize highlights the key contributions of Prof. Jülicher to the birth and development of the novel field of biological active matter physics. The contribution of Prof. Jülicher goes for “his key contributions to biological active matter physics, shedding light on the physical mechanisms that underlie cellular processes, including cooperative molecular motors; hearing; flagellar beat; active gels, fluids, and droplets; the active cell cortex; tissue growth and patterning; protein phase separation in cells; and self-organization of active surfaces.”
The PoL associate, Dr. Ricard Alert, from Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI PKS), was awarded the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Biological Physics 2023, “for revealing how new phenomena in active matter underlie a wide range of biological processes, from the spreading of epithelial tissues to turbulent-like flows in cytoskeletal networks and the formation of fruiting bodies in bacterial colonies.”
Last, but not least, Manish Yadav, a Ph.D. student from the Schießel group from PoL, received a poster prize. Manish quotes: “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to present our research on ‘The role of transcript regions and amino acid choice in nucleosome positioning’ at the ICBP 2023 conference. Our insights into the distinctions in GC signal formation around transcription start sites between plants and vertebrates and highlighting the contributions of introns, exons, and amino acids to this phenomenon received valuable feedback and sparked a significant interest. The discussions I had with well-informed peers and experts were truly enriching. ICBP 2023 was more than just a place to share findings; it was a platform for knowledge exchange and professional development. The insights I've gathered will play a crucial role in fine-tuning our research path ahead. My sincere appreciation goes out to Helmut, Physics of Life, and TUD Dresden for granting me this wonderful chance to participate and share our work at this conference.”
It is astonishing to witness the high quality of our research being recognized all over the globe. This shows not only that we are one of the lighthouses in the field, but also demonstrates the valorization of our scientists. PoL is proud and happy to share these recognitions and congratulate all the prize winners.