Prof. dr. Chase Broedersz, from Physics of Living Systems at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will represent VU Amsterdam in a new European doctoral training network exploring the physical principles underlying biological complexity.
The network - CAFE-BIO (Coherent Analysis Framework for Emergence in Biological Systems) has been awarded €4.5 million through the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme.
This international collaboration brings together 12 leading universities and research institutes across Europe, including VU Amsterdam, and several non-academic partners, to train 15 PhD candidates in cutting-edge theoretical approaches to complex biological systems.
A Collaborative Framework
The CAFE-BIO network will offer doctoral researchers a unique interdisciplinary environment, with co-supervision between institutions and secondments across academic and industry partners. The programme integrates diverse approaches from statistical physics and systems biology to machine learning to investigate how collective behaviours emerge in biological matter.
Each research group will tackle distinct but complementary problems. Topics range from modelling non-equilibrium dynamics in living systems, to developing predictive frameworks using data-driven approaches. VU Amsterdam, under the supervision of prof. Broedersz, will contribute theoretical tools rooted in non-equilibrium statistical physics to better understand emergent organisation in cellular systems.
Timeline and Recruitment
Recruitment for the 15 doctoral positions will begin in February 2026, with PhD research starting in autumn 2026. CAFE-BIO will provide comprehensive training, including technical workshops, transferable skills courses, and industry engagement with partners such as Dyneval Ltd, Netherlands e-Science Center, and Indiscale GmbH.
Network Partners
Academic institutions involved:
- University of Edinburgh (coordinator)
- Georg-August Universität Göttingen
- Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
- CEA Saclay
- CNR Rome
- Dioscuri Centre, Warsaw
- TU Eindhoven
- University of Barcelona
- University of Leiden
- University of Luxembourg
- University of Stuttgart
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Non-academic partners:
- Bacteromic (Poland)
- Dyneval Ltd (UK)
- Indiscale GmbH (Germany)
- Netherlands e-Science Center
This initiative reinforces VU Amsterdam’s commitment to advancing interdisciplinary research and training the next generation of scientific leaders at the interface of physics and biology.