Emergent behavior of soft matter and complex systems

The project aims at increasing the fundamental understanding of the structure, interaction and collective processes on micro- to nano scales. The insights gained from advances in the physics of these complex processes have ramifications for problems in fi elds as diverse as biology, material engineering, geology, economy, chemistry and medicine. One will specifically look at: - Properties of carbon nanocone-suspensions. - Self-assembly of biological microstructures. - Magnetic van der Waals forces. The work will partly be performed at the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) at University of California (UCSB) in the USA where the researchers have a long tradition in the study of complex processes, and which currently invest efforts in interdisciplina ry programs combining various field such as biology, physics, geophysics, chemistry, and material engineering. Part of the work will be done within the nationally coordinated research team COMPLEX (http://www.phys.ntnu.no/complex) consisting of participan ts from University of Oslo (UiO), Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).