Short cv

I am currently a CNRS researcher at the Centre Physique Théorique (Université Aix-Marseille, Luminy campus) and Group Leader CenTuri (Turing Center for Living Systems).

01/2019 onwards - CNRS researcher at the Centre Physique Théorique (Université Aix-Marseille, Luminy campus).
09/2015 - Research fellow with J. Prost at the Mechanobiology Institute (National University of Singapore).
2014-2015 - Post-doctoral research with L. Bocquet at LPS (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris).
2012-2014 - Graduate student with R. Voituriez and O. Bénichou at the LPTMC (Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Paris).
2008-2012 - Elève at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Paris).

Research

Tissue mechanics

Apico-basal 3D cell rearrangements: observed during embryogenesis, predicted by our numerical description of tissues (vertex model) [see publication 11]
See also: MBI science feature.
Fish slices show a V-pattern, why? Active stresses, differential tissue-friction and tissue plasticity shapes the zebrafish myotome [see publication 15]

Cell motility

Universal law of cell migration:
fast cells take more time to change direction than slow cells [5].
Our random walk model relies on a chemical inertia mechanism whereby the distribution of polarity markers is controlled by the speed of the actin retrograde flow.
See also: Le Monde feature.
Magnetotactic bacteria:
a modified run-and-tumble walk model predicts a new type of phase transition to collective flow [6].
Fluctuating active gel theory:
cortical stress fluctuations affect the position distribution of the cell nucleus and cell polarity [12-13].
See also: MBI science feature.

Molecular processes

A new perspective on force generation by molecular motor assemblies.[14].
Cells sense the rigidity of their environment through local pinching – just as you would do with your fingers when you want to test if something is soft or rough;
cells rely on myosin II motor assemblies – which contract over bundles of polymers called actin – to pinch their environment.
Our model explains the challenging observations drawn from highly resolved experiments on these myosin assemblies [14].
An algorithm optimizing image acquisition by stochastic optical microscopy [10].
Identifying search strategies minimizing the average time of first encounter between a reactant and a fixed catalytic site.
See also: A popular science overview of my PhD work (in French)

Publications list

Shaping the zebrafish myotome by differential friction and active stress
S. Tlili(1), J. Yin(1), J.F. Rupprecht, G. Weissbart, J. Prost, T. E. Saunders
bioRxiv (2018)
Myosin filaments reversibly generate large forces in cells
J. Lohner (1), J.-F. Rupprecht (1), J. Hu, N. Mandriota, M. Saxena, J. Hone, D. Pitta de Araujo, O. Sahin, J. Prost, M. P. Sheetz
bioRxiv (final revision for Nature Physics, 2019)
Maximal fluctuations of confined actomyosin gels: dynamics of the cell nucleus
J.-F. Rupprecht, A. Singh, G. V. Shivashankar, M. Rao, J. Prost
Physical Review Letters 120, 098001 (2018) Arxiv version.
Soft inclusion in a confined fluctuating active fluid
A. Singh, J.-F. Rupprecht, G. V. Shivashankar, J. Prost, M. Rao
Physical Review E 97 032602 (2018) Arxiv version.
Geometric constraints alter cell arrangements within curved epithelial tissues
J.-F. Rupprecht, K. H. Ong, J. Yin, A. Huang, A. P Singh, S. Zhang, W. Yu, T. E Saunders
Molecular Biology of the Cell, mbc. E17-01-0060 (2017).
Trade-offs between structural integrity and acquisition time in stochastic super-resolution microscopy techniques
J.-F. Rupprecht, A. Martinez-Marrades, Z. Zhang, R. Changede, P. Kanchanawong, G. Tessier
Optics Express Vol. 25, Issue 19, 23146 (2017).
The escape problem for mortal walkers
D. Grebenkov, J.-F. Rupprecht
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 146, 084106 (2017) -- Arxiv version.
Perspective: A fresh eye on nonequilibrium systems
J.-F. Rupprecht, J. Prost
Science, 352, Issue 6285, p. 514 (2016) .
Optimal search by run-and-tumble particles
J.-F. Rupprecht, O. Bénichou, R. Voituriez,
Physical Review E, 94, 012117 (2016) -- Arxiv version.
Velocity condensation of magnetotactic bacteria
J.-F. Rupprecht, N. Waisbord, C. Ybert, C. Cottin-Bizonne and L. Bocquet
Physical Review Letter 116, 168101 (2016) --- Arxiv version.
Actin flows mediate a universal coupling between cell speed and persistence
P. Maiuri (1), J.-F. Rupprecht (1), S. Wieser (1),
V. Ruprecht, N. Carpi, M. Coppey, S. De Beco, O. Bénichou, N. Gov, C.P. Heisenberg, C. Large-Crespo, F. Lautenschlaeger,
M. Le Berre, A. M. Lennon-Dumenil, M. Raab, H.R. Thiam, M. Piel, M. Sixt, R. Voituriez,
Cell, 161, 2, pp 374 (2015).
Exit time distribution in spherically symmetric two dimensional domains
J.-F. Rupprecht, O. Bénichou, D. S. Grebenkov, R. Voituriez
Journal of Statistical Physics 158, 1, pp 192 (2015) --- Arxiv version.
Stochastic 3D field mapping using Brownian scatterers
A. Martinez-Marrades, J.-F. Rupprecht, M. Gross, G. Tessier
Optics Express, Vol. 22, 23, pp. 29191-29203 (2014)
Kinetics of Active Surface-Mediated Diffusion in Spherically Symmetric Domains
J.-F. Rupprecht, O. Bénichou, D. S. Grebenkov, R. Voituriez
Journal of Statistical Physics 147, pp 891 (2012) --- Arxiv version.
Exact Mean Time for surface-mediated diffusion
J.-F. Rupprecht, O. Bénichou, D. S. Grebenkov, R. Voituriez
Physical Review E 86, pp 041135 (2012) --- Arxiv version.

Opportunities

Launching the Out-of-equilibrium Mechanics (OM) group in Marseille (2019)
Objective: evaluating the impact of out-of-equilibrium fluctuations in force generation processes at all scales of living matter (cytoskeleton, cells and tissue).

Internship/Phd/Post-doc funding opportunities. See a first PhD proposal on this page: CENTURI PhD call.

Contact

Email: jean-francois.rupprecht (at) cpt.univ-mrs.fr
Address: Centre de Physique Théorique, Université Aix-Marseille, Campus de Luminy, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13009 Marseille
Office: 5th floor, office 514
Phone: number in my email signature.