Haoran Xu

Education and academic appointments

The Chinese University of Hong Kong 2021 – present

Hong Kong, China

The Chinese University of Hong Kong 2015 – 2020

Hong Kong, China

University of Science and Technology of China 2011 - 2015

Anhui, China

Research interests

Biophysics; Soft matter physics; Living active matter; Microbiology

Experimental Aspects

– Self-organization and pattern formation in living active matter

– Autonomous motion in living active solids and active nematics

– Mechanical/chemical signaling and synchronization in living systems
Numerical Simulations

– Fluid dynamics with partial differential equations

– Active matter motion with Langevin equations


Publications

[7] Self-enhanced mobility enables vortex pattern formation in living matter

Haoran Xu, Yilin Wu.
Nature (2024). [PDF];

[6] Geometrical control of interface patterning underlies active matter invasion

Haoran Xu, Mehrana R Nejad, Julia Mary Yeomans, Yilin Wu.
PNAS (2023). [PDF];

[5] Autonomous waves and global motion modes in elastic active solids

Haoran Xu, Yulu Huang, Rui Zhang, Yilin Wu .
Nature Physics (2023). [PDF];

[4] Self-organization of swimmers drives long-range fluid transport in bacterial colonies

Haoran Xu, Justas Dauparas, Debasish Das, Eric Lauga, Yilin Wu.
Nature Communications (2019). [PDF]; NSFC News [Link]; Nature Research Microbiology Community Blog [Link]

[3] Active bulging promotes biofilm formation in a bacterial swarm

Siyu Liu, Ye Li, Haoran Xu, Daniel B. Kearns, Yilin Wu.
bioXiv (2022). [PDF];

[2] Self-organized canals enable long range directed material transport in bacterial communities

Ye Li, Shiqi Liu, Yingdan Zhang, Zi Jing Seng, Haoran Xu, Liang Yang, Yilin Wu.
Elife (2022). [PDF];

[1] Roadmap on emerging concepts in the physical biology of bacterial biofilms: from surface sensing to community formation

Wong, Gerard CL, et al.
Physical Biology (2021). [PDF];


Conferences and Presentations

2024 Conference of Soft Matter and Biophysics, Shanxi, China Mar 2024

Large-scale pattern formation in active fluids

2024 APS March Meeting, Minneapolis, USA Mar 2024

Multiscale ordering and vortex pattern formation in living matter

Seminar, School of Science and Engineering, CUHK-Shenzhen, China Jan 2024

Emergent order in living active matter

Workshop on Soft Matter and Biophysics, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, China Jan 2024

Autonomous waves and global motion modes in living active solids

Seminar, Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, China Oct 2023

Self-organization of living active matter

StatPhys28 Satellite Meeting 2023, HKBU, Hong Kong Aug 2023

Active matter invasion and morphogenesis

International Workshop on Biophysics and Soft Matter, CityU, Hong Kong May 2023

Autonomous waves and global motion modes in living active solids

2023 APS March Meeting, Las Vegas, USA Mar 2023

Autonomous waves and global motion modes in living active solids

Seminar in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Oct 2020

Collective Motion of Active Matter in Confinement

Physics Student Conference, Department of Physics, CUHK, Hong Kong Sept 2020

Collective motion of active matter in confinements

Seminar, Department of Physics, CUHK, Hong Kong Jul 2020

Collective motion in bacterial colonies

2020 APS March Meeting, Denver, USA Mar 2020

Self-organization of motile rings and long-range transport in bacterial communities

2018 CPS Fall Meeting, Dalian, China Sept 2018

Self-organization of motile rings and long-range transport in bacterial communities

2018 Joint Annual Conference of Physical Societies, Macau Jul 2018

Self-organization of motile rings and long-range transport in bacterial communities


Posters

2024 APS March Meeting, Minneapolis, USA Mar 2024

Active matter invasion and morphogenesis

New Perspectives in Active Systems, MPIPKS, Dresden, Germany Apr 2023

Geometrical control of interface patterning underlies active matter invasion

2016 APS March Meeting, Baltimore, USA Mar 2016

Collective motion in Proteus mirabilis swarms


Honors and Awards

CN Yang Scholarship, CUHK 2020
Global Young Scientists Summit, Singapore 2020
The Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Exceptional Prize 2014
Contemporary Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modelling, First prize 2013


Mentoring

Student Mentor, Youhan Xu (Graduate, CUHK) 2023 – present
Student Mentor, Zheyi Wang (Graduate, CUHK) 2022 – present
Physics Laboratory II (Teaching Assistant) 2017 – 2019
Physics Laboratory I (Teaching Assistant) 2015 – 2017