物理科学与技术学院

Biography

Organization：School of Physical Science and Technology
Tel：
Gender：male
Email：yuduan@suda.edu.cn
Post：
Office Location：Room 404, physics building
Graduate School：Nanjing University
Address：
Degree：ph. D
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Education

Education：

Sep. 2014 to Jun. 2021:
PhD in Soft Matter Physics, School of Physics, Nanjing University.
Advisor: Prof. Yuqiang Ma.
Sep. 2010 to Jun. 2014:
Bachelor of Science in Physics, School of Physics, Nanjing University.
Advisor: Prof. Chunlai Ren.

Professional Experiences

Work Experience：

Feb. 2025 to present:
Associate Professor (Young Distinguished Professor), School of Physics Science and Technology, Soochow University.
Jan. 2022 to Jan. 2025:
Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization.
Collaborators: Prof. Ramin Golestanian and Dr. Benoît Mahault.
Jul. 2021 to Dec. 2021:
Research Assistant, School of Physics Science and Technology, Soochow University.
Collaborator: Prof. Xiaqing Shi.

Overview

Resume：

I am currently a faculty member at the School of Physics Science and Technology at Soochow University. My research focuses on discovering and understanding the novel collective behavior in active matter.

Google Scholar

Research

Research Field：

My current research focuses on understanding the emergence of large-scale collective behavior in active matter systems, using theoretical and simulation approaches. This includes studying classical polar flocking systems as well as emerging non-reciprocal active matter systems.

Active matter is a non-equilibrium complex system composed of self-propelled entities, such as bacteria, active colloids, or cell collectives. Its defining feature is that microscopic units autonomously move by continuously consuming energy (e.g., chemical or light energy) and interact locally through mechanisms like hydrodynamic coupling, chemotactic signaling, or velocity alignment. These interactions give rise to rich collective behaviors at macroscopic scales. The field integrates paradigms from statistical physics, soft matter science, biophysics, and fluid mechanics, aiming to uncover the cross-scale relationships between microscopic individual behavior, mesoscale interaction networks, and macroscopic self-organization in non-equilibrium systems. Key research topics include motility-induced phase separation (MIPS), polar flocking, active turbulence, and the dynamics of topological defects. Beyond advancing our understanding of biological systems (e.g., tissue development, bacterial colony migration), active matter research drives innovations in artificial active materials (e.g., micro/nano colloidal clusters) and intelligent swarm systems (e.g., drone coordination), positioning it as a cutting-edge interdisciplinary research area bridging fundamental physics and bio-engineering applications.

Recent publications:

[1] Y. Duan, B. Mahault, Y. Ma, X. Shi, and H. Chaté, Breakdown of Ergodicity and Self-Averaging in Polar Flocks with Quenched Disorder, Phys Rev Lett 126, 178001 (2021).

[2] Y. Duan, J. Agudo-Canalejo, R. Golestanian, and B. Mahault, Dynamical Pattern Formation without Self-Attraction in Quorum-Sensing Active Matter: The Interplay between Nonreciprocity and Motility, Phys Rev Lett 131, 148301 (2023) [Editors' Suggestion]

[3] Y. Duan, J. Agudo-Canalejo, R. Golestanian, and B. Mahault, Phase Coexistence in Nonreciprocal Quorum-Sensing Active Matter, Phys Rev Res 7, 013234 (2025).

[4] T. Tang, Y. Duan*, and Y. Ma*, Reentrant phase behavior in binary topological flocks with nonreciprocal alignment, Phys Rev Res 7, 023008 (2025).

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Personal Homepage

Yu Duan Associate professor

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