Simon G J Mochrie

Simon G. J. Mochrie is a professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Yale University. His research focuses on experimental biophysics, soft condensed matter physics, and quantitative microscopy. He is known for x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS), a technique he first demonstrated in 1991 that is now used at synchrotron facilities worldwide.

Education and career

Mochrie received a BA from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1985, where he studied phase transitions in systems exhibiting low-dimensional behavior. He subsequently worked as a Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories and then served on the faculty at MIT before joining Yale University in 2000 as Professor of Physics and Applied Physics.

In 2008, Mochrie co-founded Yale's Integrated Graduate Program in Physical and Engineering Biology (PEB) together with Lynne Regan, Corey O'Hern, and Thomas D. Pollard. The program trains graduate students to apply physical and engineering approaches to biological systems across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Condensed matter and soft matter physics

Earlier in his career, Mochrie carried out experimental studies of the properties, phase behavior, and phase transitions of soft matter, surfaces, and biomaterials using high-resolution X-ray scattering techniques.

Biological physics

Mochrie's more recent research focuses on the physics of living materials. His laboratory uses theoretical and computational approaches together with experimental methods including optical tweezers, fast-scanning random-access STED microscopy, and quantitative microscopy to study chromatin organization and dynamics.

In other work, Mochrie used small-angle X-ray scattering on single insect scales to identify ordered photonic nanostructures grown through the self-organizing propensity of cellular lipid bilayer membranes. Dylan Hixon '88 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences (2021) – One of the highest teaching honors bestowed by Yale College, recognizing a "towering figure" in undergraduate education.

Selected publications