Biomechanics & Mechanics of living systems

We develop theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches to understand the mechanics of living systems, with applications ranging from fundamental biology to medical practice. Our work focuses on deformable tissues such as the heart, lungs, skin and cornea, where microstructure plays a central role. Because biological phenomena occur across scales—from molecular events in muscle contraction to micrometer-level processes in alveoli—we use multiscale modeling and experiments to capture contractility, remodeling, growth, and fluid–structure interactions.

A key direction is coupling models with patient data. Clinical images are often noisy or incomplete, so we design methods for parameter identification, mesh adaptation, and data assimilation to build patient-specific biomechanical models, such as digital twins of the lung or heart. These methods allow us to separate the effects of geometry and mechanics in disease, personalize models of pulmonary fibrosis and cardiac function, and improve diagnostic tools like elastography.

Experimentally, we combine imaging and mechanical tests to observe tissue microstructure in action—for instance, tracking collagen fibers in skin and cornea under stretch, or studying poroelastic water flows that govern transparency and stiffness. These insights challenge classical models and highlight the importance of non-fibrous tissue components. Strong hospital collaborations support this research, enabling applications from cardiac modeling for clinical decision-making to the startup AnaestAssist, which uses reduced-order models to help monitor and guide therapy in anesthesia and critical care.