Lea-Laetitia Pontani just joined the Jean Perrin Laboratory in the framework of the “Biomimetic approach of tactile perception and Contact mechanics” thematic.

She is interested in studying the mechanical properties of cells and tissues in simplified biomimetic frameworks. For instance, during her PhD in the group of Dr. Cécile Sykes at the Curie Institute, she built and characterized a biomimetic system of the actin cytoskeleton in vitro. For her post-doc she joined the group of Jasna Brujic within the Center for Soft Matter Research at New York University. She first investigated the physics of jammed matter through confocal imaging of dense emulsions, seeking to build theoretical frameworks for the description of these out-of-equilibrium systems. In parallel she designed the synthesis of biomimetic emulsions that mimic multicellular assemblies such as biological tissues. Eventually, these biomimetic emulsions became a widely used platform in the group and the CSMR and are now used for various purposes, such as directed self-assembly of DNA functionalized emulsions.

For her research at LJP she seeks to understand the physical basis of collective remodeling in biological tissues by studying the response of these biomimetic emulsions under mechanical constraints. She will also work with Alexis Prevost and Elie Wandersman on the development and characterization of biomimetic systems for the study of tactile perception at the microscopic level.