Arjun Narayanan

Assistant Professor of Physics Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: B.Sc. Mumbai University; M.Sc. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research; PhD New York University

Research Areas: Condensed matter physics; Biological physics; Statistical mechanics of living systems; Bioimaging and Image analysis


Arjun Narayanan is a condensed matter physicist who studies the physical chemistry of living matter. His training included work in nanoelectronics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai (M.Sc.) and solid state physics at New York University (PhD) and Oxford University; During this time, he contributed to the understanding of quasi 1-D organic superconductors and topological insulators.

More recently, Arjun has applied methods and concepts from condensed matter physics to understand the unconventional physical chemistry of living cells and tissues. This interdisciplinary work has contributed to our understanding of several aspects of cell biology, including protein quality control and cytoskeletal self-organization.

After positions at the physics departments of Oxford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Arjun was most recently the ELBE Fellow of the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems(Germany). Currently, Arjun aims to simultaneously further our understanding of cell biology and non-equilibrium physics by exploring the many beautiful examples of non-equilibrium self-organization that biology provides.

Courses Taught