Recent Advances in Active Matter
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
Collective behaviors in active matter arise from interactions among many autonomous units, often without central control—birds flock, fish school, ants colonize, and cells coordinate, to name a few. Assemblies of active particles, whether biological, chemical, or synthetic, interact with one another and their environment to sense, integrate, and respond to diverse physicochemical cues. These interactions generate striking patterns and functions across scales, from molecules to tissues and from microscopic colloids to macroscopic swarms, with remarkable robustness, adaptability, and memory. Active matter systems harvest energy from their surroundings and convert it into mechanical work, pushing them far from equilibrium and enabling long-range organization, dynamic adaptation, and diverse collective states.
While experimental studies, particularly in living systems, have led the way, computational active matter faces unique challenges, as equilibrium frameworks often fall short in describing far-from-equilibrium ordering. Yet the field is rapidly advancing: particle-based simulations, continuum and hydrodynamic models, and fluid–structure interaction frameworks now capture phenomena such as motility-induced phase separation, active turbulence, and defect dynamics. Machine learning and high-performance computing are accelerating discovery, revealing hidden patterns, and guiding the design of swarm behaviors. Applications are broad, spanning microswimmer engineering, tissue morphogenesis, swarm robotics, adaptive materials, and distributed information processing.
This special Collection on Recent Advances in Active Matter seeks to bring together contributions that advance computational tools, uncover emergent phenomena, and demonstrate new applications. We warmly invite researchers across disciplines to submit. Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
Computational Frameworks
- Particle-based simulations (agent-based, MD, active Brownian particles)
- Continuum and hydrodynamic modeling (phase-field, elastic/viscoelastic, fluid–structure interactions)
- Multiscale computational approaches bridging molecular to macroscopic scales
- Data-driven, machine learning, and AI-accelerated simulations
Emergent Phenomena
- Motility-induced phase separation and pattern formation
- Active turbulence, chaotic flows, and transport in active fluids
- Defect dynamics in active nematics and liquid crystals
- Mechanochemical feedbacks, chemotaxis, and mechanotransduction
- Collective behaviors in biological systems (cytoskeleton, tissues, biofilms)
- Synthetic and engineered collectives (microswimmers, Janus particles, active gels, swarm robotics)
Applications and Frontiers
- Computational design of adaptive and bio-inspired materials
- Active matter–based strategies for biomedical therapies and diagnostics
- Control of swarm behaviors and robotic collectives
- Cross-scale computational principles unifying molecules, organisms, and engineered swarms
（Important Notes for authors: Experimental studies are advised to be submitted to npj Soft Matter, while computational studies should be submitted to npj Computational Materials.）
Editors
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Sulin Zhang, PhD
Pennsylvania State University, United States
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Reinhard Lipowsky, PhD
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Potsdam, Germany
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Jun Fan, PhD
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Guest Editors for npj Computational Materials
Sulin Zhang, PhD, Pennsylvania State University, United States
Dr. Sulin Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Pennsylvania State University, with courtesy appointments in Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. He earned his Ph.D. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002, followed by postdoctoral research at Northwestern University. Before joining Penn State, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas. His research explores the roles of mechanical forces and stresses in electrochemical and biological systems, bridging disciplines like mechanobiology, energy storage, and active matter. Dr. Zhang has received numerous accolades, including the NSF CAREER Award and Penn State’s PSEAS Outstanding Research Award. He is the founding editor of Extreme Mechanics Letters and serves as an Associate Editor for NPJ Computational Materials. His work combines in-situ transmission electron microscopy with multiphysics modeling to uncover how mechanical forces interact with electrochemical and biochemical processes at atomic resolution, offering insights into degradation, development, and disease mechanisms.
Jun Fan, PhD, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Dr. Jun Fan is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong. She received her B.Eng. from Tsinghua University, her M.Sc. from McMaster University in Canada, and her Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University, where she worked under Prof. Mikko Haataja on the structure and dynamics of cell membranes. Her research focuses on computational materials science and biophysics, with particular expertise in modeling complex biological systems at the molecular and cellular level. Dr. Fan has published extensively in these areas, supervising numerous postgraduate students and contributing to interdisciplinary projects that bridge physics, engineering, and life sciences. With a strong international background and collaborations, she plays a key role in advancing computational approaches to understand biomolecular processes and materials behavior.
Guest Editor for npj Soft Matter
Reinhard Lipowsky, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Potsdam, Germany
Reinhard Lipowsky is one of the founding directors of the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany. He is a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, has honorary professorships at the University of Potsdam and at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and is a fellow of the Max Planck School "Matter to Life“.
His expertise covers a wide range of topics in chemical and biological physics, which he studies by a combination of analytical theory, computer simulations, and experimental methods. His main achievements are in the areas of interfacial phase transitions and wetting phenomena, biomembranes and vesicles, as well as molecular motors and nanomachines. His recent focus is on remodeling processes in the context of bottom-up synthetic biology.
