Theory of
Living Matter
We study the physics of cellular organization — how cells divide, move, and coordinate. Using analytical and computational methods, we bridge microscopic molecular interactions with large-scale biological phenomena.
Research Areas
Our work spans four interconnected themes in theoretical and computational biophysics.
Cytoskeletal Networks
The cytoskeleton is an active material driven out of equilibrium by molecular motors. We develop frameworks connecting microscopic interaction rules to the large-scale physical properties that enable cell shape changes and motility.
Learn more →Spindle Ultra-Structures
Cell division requires the faithful segregation of chromosomes. We integrate light microscopy with electron tomography data to understand the physics of mitotic and meiotic spindles at unprecedented resolution.
Learn more →Centrosome Physics
The centrosome organizes the microtubule cytoskeleton and anchors the mitotic spindle. We study how it grows, what forces that growth generates, and how those forces shape cell division.
Learn more →Synchronization in Living Materials
Molecular motors convert chemical energy into mechanical work. We investigate how they coordinate across biological scales — from individual proteins to beating cilia that pump fluid through tissues.
Learn more →Selected Publications
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Clustering of the T-cell receptor complex may facilitate T-cell activation by stretching of CD3ζ cytoplasmic tailsEuropean Biophysics Journal, 2026
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Disentangling Entropic, Active, and Frictional Forces in Cytoskeletal CrosslinkingPhysical Review Research, 2026
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Three types of actomyosin rings within a common cytoplasm exhibit distinct modes of contractilityMolecular Biology of the Cell, 2025
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Spontaneous phase coordination and fluid pumping in model ciliary carpetsProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022
News
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Paper accepted in European Biophysics Journal
Work by Steven Siegl, Sebastian Fürthauer, and Gerhard Schütz — "Clustering of the T-cell receptor complex may facilitate T-cell activation by stretching of CD3ζ cytoplasmic tails" — has been accepted for publication in the European Biophysics Journal. The study proposes that receptor clustering can mechanically stretch the CD3ζ cytoplasmic tails, offering a physical mechanism for T-cell activation. Congratulations to all authors!
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Cédrik Barutel and Sebastian Fürthauer's work "Disentangling Entropic, Active, and Frictional Forces in Cytoskeletal Crosslinking" has been accepted for publication in Physical Review Research. The paper introduces a unified nonequilibrium-thermodynamics framework that decomposes crosslinker forces into entropic, active, and frictional contributions. Congratulations, Cédrik!
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Sebastian Fürthauer is co-organizing the ICTS discussion meeting "Multiscale Flows and Self-Organisation in Living Matter", to be held March 1–6, 2027 at ICTS-TIFR in Bengaluru, India, together with Brato Chakrabarti (ICTS-TIFR) and Jasmin Imran Alsous (Flatiron Institute). The meeting brings together experimentalists and theorists to explore how hydrodynamics, elasticity, and active nonequilibrium mechanics shape biological structure and function across scales.
The Team
A diverse group of physicists and biophysicists at TU Wien's Institute for Applied Physics.
Join the Group
We are looking for motivated researchers with a background in theoretical physics, computational biology, or related fields. Our group offers an open, collaborative environment at the intersection of physics and biology.
Interested? Send a CV and a short statement of research interests to sebastian.fuerthauer@tuwien.ac.at.