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Christoph F. Schmidt

Hertha Sponer Distinguished Professor of Physics
Physics
Box 90305, Durham, NC 27708
2316 French Family Science Center, Duke Box 90305, 124 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Hertha Sponer Distinguished Professor of Physics · 2018 - Present Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Physics · 2018 - Present Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Co-Director of the Duke Materials Initiative · 2024 - Present Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Biomedical Engineering · 2019 - Present Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering
Professor of Biology · 2019 - Present Biology, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science · 2023 - Present Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Pratt School of Engineering

In the News


Published May 7, 2019
Duke Adds 21 Faculty to Distinguished Faculty Rank

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Recent Publications


Tension doesn’t always propagate in a biological cell membrane

Journal Article Journal Club for Condensed Matter Physics · March 31, 2025 Full text Cite

A minimal vertex model explains how the amnioserosa avoids fluidization during Drosophila dorsal closure.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · January 2025 Dorsal closure is a process that occurs during embryogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. During dorsal closure, the amnioserosa (AS), a one-cell thick epithelial tissue that fills the dorsal opening, shrinks as the lateral epidermis sheets converge ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Mechanism of epidermal coordination during development and regeneration in zebrafish

ResearchCollaborating Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases · 2023 - 2028

University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1994 - 2027

Mechanosensitivity of Membrane-Actin Cortex Adhesion

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2023 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


Technical University of Munich (Germany) · 1988 D.R.

External Links


Schmidt lab