Professor Emeritus of Physics
Glenn Edwards investigates biological systems using a range of experimental techniques and theoretical methods from physics. His interests include Investigations of energy transduction where laser energy transforms into vibrational energy of biological molecules which then transforms into heat and pressure pulses that selectively drive tissue-scale dynamics. This line of research has led to human surgical applications of Free-Electron Lasers and spin-off laser technology. Another interest includes investigations of how biology harnesses physical mechanisms in biomechanical processes. This line of research investigates tissue dynamics and pattern formation during early development in Drosophila embryos.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Professor Emeritus of Physics
Contact Information
- Email Address: gedwards@phy.duke.edu
Education
- B.S. University of Maryland, College Park, 1978
- Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park, 1984
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- Fellow. American Physical Society. 2006
Courses Taught
- PHYSICS 264L: Optics and Modern Physics
- PHYSICS 162D: Fundamentals of Physics II
Representative Publications
- Aristotelous, A. C., J. M. Crawford, G. S. Edwards, D. P. Kiehart, and S. Venakides. “Mathematical models of dorsal closure.” Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology 137 (September 2018): 111–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.05.009.
- Lo, Wei-Chang, Craig Madrak, Daniel P. Kiehart, and Glenn S. Edwards. “Unified biophysical mechanism for cell-shape oscillations and cell ingression.” Physical Review. E 97, no. 6–1 (June 2018): 062414. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.97.062414.
- Kiehart, Daniel P., Janice M. Crawford, Andreas Aristotelous, Stephanos Venakides, and Glenn S. Edwards. “Cell Sheet Morphogenesis: Dorsal Closure in Drosophila melanogaster as a Model System.” Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology 33 (October 2017): 169–202. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-cellbio-111315-125357.
- Lu, Heng, Adam Sokolow, Daniel P. Kiehart, and Glenn S. Edwards. “Quantifying dorsal closure in three dimensions.” Molecular Biology of the Cell 27, no. 25 (December 2016): 3948–55. https://doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e16-06-0400.
- Lu, Heng, Adam Sokolow, Daniel P. Kiehart, and Glenn S. Edwards. “Remodeling Tissue Interfaces and the Thermodynamics of Zipping during Dorsal Closure in Drosophila.” Biophysical Journal 109, no. 11 (December 2015): 2406–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2015.10.017.