Guillaume Pernollet

PhD Student

Mechanosensing, the recognition that cells are sensitive and responsive to their mechanical environment, emerged over the nineties and allowed breakthroughs in fields like Morphogenesis and Stem cells differentiation. However, the range of mechanical factors cells are sensitive to and how these factors, either individually or via their combined effect, impact tissues organization is not completely understood yet.

The goal of my PhD in the Roux lab at UNIGE is therefore to examine how tissue organization is impacted by mechanical and geometrical cues such as substrate rigidity, curvature or confinement. To achieve this, I culture epithelial tissues on hydrogel patterns and in hollow alginate capsules, which allow me to apply wide ranges of mechanical cues.

My PhD started at the Roux lab in January 2020. I studied at EPFL, Lausanne where I obtained a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree in Physics and a minor in Biotechnology.