Nigel Goldenfeld's Group: Projects
 
     
     

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Our group presently works primarily in condensed matter theory and quantitative biology. We strive to find simple, universal predictions for the behavior of physical systems, based on carefully-constructed minimal models. We are very conscious of the process of model-construction, using symmetries, conservation laws, phenomenology and renormalization group theory to avoid the Scylla of excessive realism, and the Charybdis of irrelevant simplicity.

Our past accomplishments may be found here.

Our ongoing work is primarily directed towards:

  1. Physical and Quantitative biology
    Biocomplexity, geobiology, microbial ecology, biological scaling laws, evolution, universal biology and the origin of life.

  2. Pattern formation on multiple scales
    Renormalization group approach to multiscale analysis of material microstructure from the nanoscale; phase field models; avalanches and scaling far from equilibrium.

  3. Turbulence
    Data collapse and scaling laws in turbulent pipe flow; analogies with statistical mechanics; rare events in turbulence.

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