Ana Hocevar

Hi everyone, I am a PhD student at the Department of Theoretical Physics at Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I work in the Theoretical Biophysics group together with my advisor Assistant Professor Primoz Ziherl. I have always been fascinated by nature and the power of mathematics and physics has mesmerized me ever since I can remember. My first love was astronomy and astrophysics, which is why I chose to study physics and I completed my undergrad studies at the Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana. Then an opportunity to switch to biophysics came along and I decided to do my PhD in the Theoretical Biophysics group, which proved to be a great choice.

When not working, I play softball, I ski, I do some improv theatre, I play tennis, I run, I sail, ... and I can't wait to go to Santa Fe!

Email: ana (dot) hocevar (at) ijs (dot) si

Website: http://www-f1.ijs.si/~hocevar/index.html

What are your main interests? Feel free to include a "pie in the sky" big idea!

At the moment my projects include understanding patterns and shapes in simple animal tissues, unveiling what governs the shapes of cells, what patterns emerge, how space imposes constraints on a structure that inhabits it, ... As far as the "pie in the sky" big idea goes, my main interest is the role of physics in different living systems. How far can for example the physical approach, that accounts for the behavior of cold lifeless crystals, take us in understanding objects that move, breathe, mate, think, feel?

What sort of expertise can you bring to the group?

• knowledge of traditional undergrad physics
• knowledge of Edwards' statistical mechanics of granular media
• experiences with Surface Evolver
• C++, C, Mathematica, CorelDraw
• I am eager to learn, work and have fun doing it

What do you hope to get out of the CSSS?

I hope to learn loads of new things, discover new exciting issues I didn't even know about before, learn about what other participants are working on, meet new people from various fields of research, establish collaborative relationships perhaps, go on a pleasant trip maybe and have a good time.

Do you have any possible projects in mind for the CSSS?

After reading some of the stuff other participants wrote in their stubs, I am thinking very interdisciplinary thoughts. To toss out an idea for a project, I'll need a few more days, though. So, let me get back with that...