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Biological Physics & Mechanics

Professor Ben Simons

Career

  •  2018-date: Royal Society E.P. Abraham Professor, DAMPT, Cambridge
  • 2011-date: Herchel Smith Chair in Physics, Cavendish Laboratory,
  • Cambridge
  • 2002-2010: Personal Chair in the Theory of Condensed Matter, Cavendish Laboratory,
  • Cambridge
  • 2000-2002: University Readership in the Theory of Condensed Matter, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
  • 1995-1999: Lecturer, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge
  • 1995-date: Fellow, St John’s College, Cambridge
  • 1994-1995: Royal Society Research Fellow and Lecturer, Imperial College, London
  • 1990-1991: Junior Research Fellow, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

Research

Ben is a member the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics. He also holds affiliated positions in the Wellcome Trust/CRUK Gurdon Institute and the Wellcome Trust/MRC Stem Cell Institute. His research interests have spanned a wide range of topics within the area of theoretical quantum condensed matter physics. However, his current interests are focussed on the application of modelling approaches to study the dynamics of biological systems, from subcellular processes, to cell fate decision-making and morphogenic processes. His research is supported by grants from EPSRC, the Wellcome Trust, CRUK and the Royal Society.

Selected Publications

  • S. Rulands, et al., Universality of clone dynamics during tissue development, Nature Physics 14, 469-474 (2018)
  • E. Hannezo, et al., A unifying theory of branching morphogenesis, Cell 171, 242-255 (2017)
  • X. Lan, et al., Cell fate mapping of human glioblastoma reveals an invariant stem cell hierarchy pre- and post-treatment, Nature 549, 227-232 (2017)
  • A. Sanchez-Danes, et al., Defining the clonal dynamics leading to tumor initiation, Nature 536, 298-303 (2016)
  • B. D. Simons and H. Clevers, Strategies of stem cell self-renewal in adult tissues, Cell 145, 851-862 (2011)
  • C. Lopez-Garcia, et al., Intestinal stem cell replacement follows a pattern of neutral drift, Science 330, 822-825 (2010)

Publications

Gliomagenesis mimics an injury response orchestrated by neural crest-like cells
AA Hamed, K Hua, QM Trinh, BD Simons, JC Marioni, LD Stein, PB Dirks
– Nature
(2025)
1
(doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08356-2)
Self-organization of spermatogenic wave coordinates sustained sperm production in the mouse testis
T Sato, YI Li, DJ Jörg, M Komeya, H Yamanaka, H Nakamura, K Hirano, Y Kondo, K Aoki, M Takahashi, H Nakata, H Kimura, T Ogawa, BD Simons, S Yoshida
(2024)
(doi: 10.1101/2024.11.03.621757)
Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals the Temporal Architecture of the Seminiferous Epithelial Cycle and Precise Sertoli-Germ Synchronization
A Chakravorty, BD Simons, S Yoshida, L Cai
– bioRxiv
(2024)
5,
2024.10.28.620681
(doi: 10.1101/2024.10.28.620681)
Mechanisms that clear mutations drive field cancerization in mammary tissue.
M Ciwinska, HA Messal, HR Hristova, C Lutz, L Bornes, T Chalkiadakis, R Harkes, NSM Langedijk, SJ Hutten, RX Menezes, J Jonkers, S Prekovic, Grand Challenge PRECISION consortium, BD Simons, CLGJ Scheele, J van Rheenen
– Nature
(2024)
633,
198
(doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07882-3)
Mechanisms that clear mutations drive field cancerization in mammary tissue
M Ciwinska, HA Messal, HR Hristova, C Lutz, L Bornes, T Chalkiadakis, R Harkes, NSM Langedijk, SJ Hutten, RX Menezes, J Jonkers, S Prekovic, J Wesseling, AM Thompson, S Nik-Zainal, EJ Sawyer, HR Davies, A Futreal, NE Navin, ES Hwang, J Jonkers, J van Rheenen, F Behbod, EH Lips, M Schmidt, LFA Wessels, D Rea, P Bhattacharjee, H Stobart, D Collyar, D Pinto, E Verschuur, M van Oirsouw, BD Simons, CLGJ Scheele, J van Rheenen
– Nature
(2024)
633,
198
(doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07882-3)
Dynamic regulation of tissue fluidity controls skin repair during wound healing.
RM Sarate, J Hochstetter, M Valet, A Hallou, Y Song, N Bansaccal, M Ligare, M Aragona, D Engelman, A Bauduin, O Campàs, BD Simons, C Blanpain
– Cell
(2024)
187,
5298
(doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.07.031)
Pre-cancerous Niche Remodelling Dictates Nascent Tumour Survival
G Skrupskelyte, JE Rojo Arias, Y Dang, S Han, MT Bejar, B Colom, JC Fowler, PH Jones, S Rulands, BD Simons, MP Alcolea
(2024)
(doi: 10.1101/2024.07.04.602022)
Red2Flpe-SCON: a versatile, multicolor strategy for generating mosaic conditional knockout mice.
S-HS Wu, S Kim, H Lee, J-H Lee, S-Y Park, R Bakonyi, I Teriyapirom, N Hallay, S Pilat-Carotta, H-C Theussl, J Kim, J-H Lee, BD Simons, JK Kim, G Colozza, B-K Koo
– Nat Commun
(2024)
15,
4963
(doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49382-y)
Adult Human, but Not Rodent, Spermatogonial Stem Cells Retain States with a Foetal-like Signature
SJ Bush, R Nikola, S Han, S Suzuki, S Yoshida, B Simons, A Goriely
– Cells
(2024)
13,
742
(doi: 10.3390/cells13090742)
Human spermatogonial stem cells retain states with a foetal-like signature
S Bush, R Nikola, S Han, S Suzuki, S Yoshida, B Simons, A Goriely
(2024)
(doi: 10.1101/2024.03.18.585628)
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Research Group

Biological Physics and Mechanics

Email

bds10@damtp.cam.ac.uk

Room

H1.13

Telephone

01223 766833

Study at Cambridge

About the University

Research at Cambridge