Chirag studied physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (Master's) and the University of Delhi (Bachelor's) before joining the Zwicker group as a Matter to Life rotation student. His Master's research focussed on experimentally realising the strong coupling effect via surface plasmon resonance. During his stay in the Zwicker group, he intends to study phase separation in multi-component multi-compartment systems. Outside of work, you can find him exploring photography or playing guitar.

Sophia Hampe earned her Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Medicine from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in 2020, followed by a Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in 2023. Her master’s research focused on investigating the role of a histone methyltransferase in intestinal organoids. Currently, she is a member of the Max Planck School Matter to Life, specializing in biophysics. In January 2025, Sophia joined the Zwicker group as a lab rotation student, where she explores memory in adaptive flow networks, such as the slime mold Physarum, using numerical simulations.

I earned my bachelor's degree from RWTH Aachen University, where my thesis focused on analyzing structure formation in cosmological systems with perturbed forces. In October 2024, I joined the group of David Zwicker as an intern. I am particularly interested in applying concepts from statistical physics to better understand phase separation in biological systems. My current project investigates the surface tension of droplets in a three-component system. Outside of work I enjoy staying active through handball and bouldering.