ABSTRACT / Morphogenesis in multicellular organisms is one of the most fascinating phenomena of nature. From a small collection of apparently identical cells, an explosion of complexity leads to the formation of a new, fully developed organism. Despite the enormous number of variables the process relies upon, morphogenesis is a very robust process that occurs following a well ordered sequence of stages through apparently fragile metastable states. A crucial question is: what are the driving forces that enable and promote the transition from one state to the next? Recent findings open an intriguing scenario towards the theoretical understanding of this crucial biological phenomenon where network theory is called to occupy a prominent role.
BIO / Bernat Corominas-Murtra has a Bachelor in Physics and Linguistics, an Msc in Mathematics, and a Phd (2011) with Ricard Solé as advisor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. In 2012, Bernat moved to Vienna as a postdoc at the Medical University of Vienna, at the section for Complex Systems, headed by Stefan Thurner, and he was Associated Researcher at the Vienna Complexity Science Hub between 2016-2018, mainly working in network and information theory. In 2018, Bernat became a postdoc at the Institute of Science and Technology, at the Edouard Hannezo group, as he turned his attention towards theoretical biology and biophysics, exploring the dynamics of stem cells and embryo morphogenesis.