Professor Dame Athene Donald Professor of Experimental Physics Fellow, Robinson College Telephone: +44 (0)1223 337382 E-mail: amd3 [at] cam.ac.uk PA Sarah Adderley:+ 44 (0)1223 337423 E-mail: sa496 [at] cam.ac.uk

I have been at the Cavendish since 1983, and became a professor in 1998. My activity sits within the sector of Biological and Soft Systems, and focusses on using the ideas of soft matter physics to study a wide range of systems of both synthetic and biological origin. There is an emphasis on using different types of microscopy, and in particular environmental scanning electron microscopy, but these are by no means the only approaches used. We have recently been developing passive microrheological techniques for the study of a range of complex fluids, including the inside of cells; we are exploring cell adhesion, mitosis and spreading using optical approaches (including the effect of external physical cues such as topographical patterns); and we have a substantial effort directed at protein aggregation at intermediate lengthscales, predominantly using model protein systems including beta lactoglobulin and insulin but extending to A beta. The unifying theme is understanding structure-function-processing relationships. My group comes from a diverse range of backgrounds, as does my funding.