Research Interest: It is well established that under many natural environmental conditions bacteria prefer to exist as multicellular structures, for instance surface-attached biofilms or freely floating aggregates. These forms of spatial organization protect cells from various environmental stress such as exposure to antibiotics or physical forces. The emergent multicellularity is achieved through quorum sensing, whereby individual cells monitor local cell density to synchronize their programs of gene expression. Apart from the molecular and genetic processes, I am interested in the physical mechanisms of developing these 3D macroscopic structures. Combining quantitative imaging with theoretical and computational modeling, I aim to understand how mechanical properties, physical forces and responses to external cues together regulate the movement of cell population and ultimately shape bacterial colonies.