Welcome to LIPhy
The laboratory is a joint CNRS/University of Grenoble Alpes unit and is attached to the Physics, Engineering, Materials pole of the university. The laboratory is largely oriented towards the interfaces of physics with other disciplines, in particular life sciences and environmental sciences, mechanics or applied mathematics.
News

As part of the BEECOG project, a scientific collaboration involving LIPhy whose aim is to study the role of cognition -and in particular learning- in the collective behavior of bees, Aurore Avarguès-Weber, CNRS research director at the Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale in Toulouse, will give a public lecture at MaCI on Thursday, November 27, 2025, at 7 p.m.

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Germany and the LIPhy has demonstrated that Tau, a neuronal protein known for stabilizing microtubule tips, plays an active role in modulating microtubule lattice dynamics. The study reveals that Tau significantly accelerates the exchange of tubulin within the microtubule lattice, especially at topological defect sites, despite lacking enzymatic activity. These findings challenge the traditional view of Tau as merely a passive stabilizer, showing instead that it increases lattice anisotropy and, in doing so, actively enhances microtubule lattice dynamics.

Art and science come together to highlight the beauty and fragility of plankton in alpine lakes.

At the heart of the Arabidopsis thaliana flower, the pistil, formed of hundreds of papillae and an ovary housing the ovules, is surrounded by stamens that release pollen grains carrying male gametes. In an article published in PLOS Computational Biology, scientists combine theory and experiments to reveal how male gametes are guided toward the ovules from the very beginning of their journey on the surface of the female reproductive organ.

Publication
The Matosthèque, LIPhy's initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of equipment purchases
On September 2, 2025
LIPhy is taking action to reduce the share of equipment purchases in its CO2 emissions! Over the past year, the laboratory has developed and implemented a new digital tool for sharing equipment: the Matosthèque.
Seminars

Seminar
An active Brownian particle at a curved interface - Vishwas Vasisht (IIT Palakkad, India)
On October 27, 2025
Vishwas Vasisht (IIT Palakkad, India)

Nicolas Desprat (LPENS, Paris)

Thesis defence
PhD defence: Transfer of carbon dioxide and air through aqueous foams - Cécile Aprili (MODI, LIPhy)
On November 6, 2025
Cécile Aprili (MODI, LIPhy)

Seminar
How bacteria predict and anticipate the seasons - Lisa Jabbur (The John Innes Centre, UK)
On November 10, 2025
Lisa Jabbur (The John Innes Centre, UK)

Nicolas Thomas (CARRTEL, Université Savoie Mont Blanc)

Thesis defence
PhD defence: Connectomic analysis of multiscale cellular networks in mineralized tissues - Lucas Chatelain (OPTIMA, LIPhy)
On December 1, 2025
Lucas Chatelain (OPTIMA, LIPhy)