Dr Kevin Chalut

Biography

Kevin Chalut is a biophysicist with a PhD in Physics from Duke University. Since 2011 he has been a Royal Society University Research Fellow. Kevin’s post-graduate background is in biotechnology and imaging, particularly with regards to detecting cancer and characterising stem cells. He is currently a group leader at both the Cavendish Laboratory and the Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute.

Research Interest

The transformation of a stem cell into a mature tissue cell consists of a progression of highly regulated steps. However, the process of differentiation, and how it is regulated, is not well understood, despite the importance both for comprehending embryonic development and for targeted stem cell therapies. Furthermore, differentiation has primarily been studied from a biochemical perspective, while mechanical aspects, despite their importance, have been largely overlooked. We are focused on illuminating biophysical aspects of transitions between states in ES cell differentiation and in embryonic development by utilising quantitative microscopy, microfabrication and microfluidic techniques. Biophysical aspects we focus on include cell mechanics and matrix signalling, where our work has demonstrated that the matrix environment is a potent regulator of transitions by controlling cell spreading and shape.