Welcome to Nigel Goldenfeld's Group's web site, part of Condensed Matter Theory in the Physics Department at the University of Illinois.

We mainly study how patterns evolve in time, be they snowflakes, the microstructures of materials, the flow of fluids, geological formations, or even the spatial organisation of microbes. The scope of our work covers mainstream condensed matter physics, materials science, quantitative biology, applied mathematics and nonequilibrium pattern formation.

Our other focus is on emergent states of matter: the new laws of physics that arise in a system, due to the collective behaviour of its parts (atoms or organisms). Superconductivity is one example; the complexity of living organisms and ecosystems is another. We are currently engaged in a NSF funded $5,000,000 multi-institution, multidisciplinary effort to explore the emergence of life from early geochemistry.

A non-technical description of our work in biocomplexity and the origin of life can be found here.

Here is a slightly expanded version of our manifesto "Biology's next revolution", which appeared in Nature 25 January 2007.

A non-technical description of our research into geophysical pattern formation and microbial ecology at Yellowstone National Park can be found here.

Quick link to Yellowstone Movie Download page is here.

Back to Physics Department Web Page