Alice Battistella

Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin

Kussmaulallee 2

91054 Erlangen

…earned her degree in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Padova (Italy), where she carried out a research internship at UPMC-LRS in Paris, France, focusing on physical and surface chemistry. She then pursued her PhD in Nanotechnology at the University of Trieste in collaboration with CNR-IOM (Italy), with a research focus on biomechanics in reproductive biology. Since September 2026, she has been a postdoctoral researcher in Jochen Guck’s division at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, where her work centres on mechanobiology, particularly the application of biophysical methods to study parasitology.

Our research lies at the intersection of biophysics and biology, exploring how the mechanical and biophysical properties of cells and tissues govern fundamental biological processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and migration, and how their dysregulation contributes to disease. By combining expertise in photonics, microfluidics, and scanning probe techniques, we develop and apply innovative physical methods to precisely quantify these properties in living systems. Our ultimate goal is to translate these insights into novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies, bridging the gap between fundamental biophysics and biomedical applications.