Physics at the interface

The methods for studying complex systems were originally developed for condensed matter, meaning that these fields are intimately linked.

Our research in condensed matter and complex systems connect us to researchers from many fields, including biology, chemistry, ecology, economics and anthropology.

Condensed matter physics

We study how the properties of solids and liquids develop from the atoms that make them. Our ultimate goal is to design materials or devices with desired or improved characteristics.

We focus on soft condensed matter such as polymers and biological materials, as well as microscale to nanoscale materials and colloidal particles.

Complex systems

Complex systems research is grounded in the physical sciences, but it has grown to encompass a much broader range of domains, including social and ecological systems.

With the growth in big data analytics, complex system research creates prospects for researchers to work across a diverse range of industries and government sectors.

Interdisciplinary physics

We collaborate with a broad range of other academic disciplines. Recent highlights include work on social and economic networks in early Māori society, the use of optical techniques to predict the quality of meat, and high-speed photography of drop impacts in the Dynamic Microfluidics Laboratory.