528: Studying the Physics of How Cells Self-Organize - Dr. Jennifer Ross

People Behind the Science Podcast - Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Dr. Jennifer Ross is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Syracuse University. Through her research, Jenny is working to better understand how living things can organize themselves. An animal starts with one cell and then develops into a full organism through self-organization and self-assembly. Jenny and her lab are working to identify simple rules and develop models using physics to explain how biological processes work. In her free time, Jenny enjoys doing activities with her two kids. They’ve been having fun engaging in science-related activities like visiting volcanoes and watching the solar eclipse a few years ago. Jenny also loves watching TV, listening to podcasts, and reading, particularly when the subject is science fiction. Jenny received her BA in physics and mathematics from Wellesley College, and her PhD in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania. Jenny joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007, and she just recently moved to Syracuse to accept her current position there. Jenny has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including a National Science Foundation INSPIRE Award, a Cottrell Scholars Award, a Scialog Fellowship, the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society, and the Basil O’Connor Starter Award from the March of Dimes Foundation. In addition, Jenny is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. In our interview, she will tell us more about her life and science.