Professor Michael Cates | Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

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2015-date: Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
2007-2022: Royal Society Research Professor
1995-2015: Professor of Natural Philosophy, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh
1992-1995: University Lecturer, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
1989-1992: University Assistant Lecturer, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
1988-1989: Royal Society University Research Fellow, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
1985-1995: Junior Research Fellow (1985-1989), Teaching Fellow (1990-1995), Trinity College Cambridge

Research

Mike is a member of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. He heads the Soft Matter research group. His current research interests include: flow of colloids, polymers, emulsions, gels and other soft materials; shear-thickening and rheology in dense suspensions; dynamics of soft glasses; flow of liquid crystals; general theories of active matter; cellular locomotion; phase ordering in active and passive systems; statistical mechanics of active particles; and numerous other topics. He recently completed an ERC Advanced Grant called ADNeSP: Active and Driven Systems, Nonequilibrium Statistical Physics.

Prizes and Awards

2021: International Member, US National Academy of Sciences
2019: International Member, US National Academy of Engineering
2016: Bingham Medal, US Society of Rheology
2013: Weissenberg Award, European Society of Rheology
2009: Dirac Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics
2009: Gold Medal, British Society of Rheology
2007: Fellow of the Royal Society (London)
2005: Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
1996: Fellow of the Institute of Physics
1994: Prix Franco-Britannique (Paris Academy of Sciences)
1991: Maxwell Prize and Medal, Institute of Physics

Publications

Continuum theory of phase separation kinetics for active brownian particles

J Stenhammar, A Tiribocchi, RJ Allen, D Marenduzzo, ME Cates

– Physical Review Letters

(2013)

111,

145702

(doi: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.145702)

Intracellular facilitated diffusion: searchers, crowders, and blockers.

CA Brackley, ME Cates, D Marenduzzo

– Physical review letters

(2013)

111,

108101

(doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.108101)

Community history affects the predictability of microbial ecosystem development.

E Pagaling, F Strathdee, BM Spears, ME Cates, RJ Allen, A Free

– The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology

(2013)

8,

19

(doi: 10.1038/ismej.2013.150)

Squeezing particle-stabilized emulsions into biliquid foams - equation of state

L Maurice, RA Maguire, AB Schofield, ME Cates, PS Clegg, JHJ Thijssen

– Soft Matter

(2013)

9,

7757

(doi: 10.1039/c3sm51046h)

Flexoelectric switching in cholesteric blue phases

A Tiribocchi, ME Cates, G Gonnella, D Marenduzzo, E Orlandini

– Soft Matter

(2013)

9,

4831

(doi: 10.1039/c3sm50317h)

Colloidal Templating at a Cholesteric-Oil Interface: Assembly Guided by an Array of Disclination Lines

JS Lintuvuori, AC Pawsey, K Stratford, ME Cates, PS Clegg, D Marenduzzo

– Physical review letters

(2013)

110,

187801

(doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.187801)

Effect of DNA conformation on facilitated diffusion

CA Brackley, ME Cates, D Marenduzzo

– Biochemical Society Transactions

(2013)

41,

582

(doi: 10.1042/bst20120234)

PATCHY COLLOIDS Entropy stabilizes open crystals

ME Cates

– Nat Mater

(2013)

12,

179

(doi: 10.1038/nmat3573)

When are active Brownian particles and run-and-tumble particles equivalent? Consequences for motility-induced phase separation

ME Cates, J Tailleur

– EPL (Europhysics Letters)

(2013)

101,

20010

(doi: 10.1209/0295-5075/101/20010)

Modeling the relaxation of polymer glasses under shear and elongational loads.

SM Fielding, RL Moorcroft, RG Larson, ME Cates

– The Journal of Chemical Physics

(2013)

138,

12A504

(doi: 10.1063/1.4769253)