Ctrl+K

Publications

Publications#

Preprints#

  1. M. G. Athani, N. Prouse, N. Sarpangala, P. Noerr, G. Schiano-Lomoriello, A. G. Kumar, F. L. Memarian, J. Gaillard, L. Blanchoin, L. S. Hirst, K. Dasbiswas, A. Gopinathan, O. Kučera, D. A. Beller
    "Gliding microtubules exhibit tunable collective rotation driven by chiral active forces."
    arXiv 2507.00245 (2025).
  2. A. Argento, M. L. Varela, G. Singh, D. P. Visnuk, B. Jacobovitz, M. Rutherford, M. Edwards, Q. Chaboche, D. Orringer, J. Heth, M. Castro, D. Beller, C. Blanch-Mercader, P. Lowenstein.
    "Three-dimensional topological defects and quasi-long-range order in biological liquid crystals."
    bioRxiv 10.1101/2025.04.14.648711 (2025).
  3. B. Klein, A. J. Soto Franco, Md M. H. Sabbir, M. J. Deutsch, R. L. B. Selinger, K. A. Mitchell, D. A. Beller.
    "Spontaneous Optimal Mixing via Defect-Vortex Coupling in Confined Active Nematics."
    arXiv 2503.10880 (2025)
    SI Videos
  4. M. Ratman, J. Gonzalez Nuñez, D. A. Beller.
    "Spontaneous spatial sorting by cell shape in growing colonies of rod-like bacteria."
    bioRxiv 2025.01.22.634274 (2025)
    arXiv 2501.11177 (2025)
    SI Videos

Peer-reviewed articles#

  1. C. Steinbock, D. A. Beller
    "Dynamics of individual active elastic filaments with chiral self-propulsion."
    Physical Review E 113: 035404 (2026)   [preprint] [SI video]
  2. K. A. Mitchell, Md M. H. Sabbir, S. Ricarte, B. Klein, D. A. Beller.
    "Modeling active nematics via the nematic locking principle."
    Soft Matter 21: 9083 (2025).
  3. M. O'Keefe*, J. B. D. M. Garcia*, A. J. Rwakabuba, T. M. Otchy, D. A. Beller, M. A. Gharbi.
    "Templated self-assembly of gold nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals confined at 3D printed curved surfaces."
    Nanoscale 17: 20351 (2025).
  4. J. Gonzalez Nuñez, D. A. Beller.
    "Geometry-induced competitive release in a meta-population model of range expansions in disordered environments."
    Journal of the Royal Society Interface 22: 20240698 (2025).
  5. J. Gonzalez Nuñez, J. Paulose, W. Möbius, D. A. Beller.
    "Range expansions across landscapes with quenched noise."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121: e2411487121 (2024).
  6. M. G. Athani, D. A. Beller.
    "Symmetry and stability of orientationally ordered collective motions of self-propelled, semiflexible filaments."
    Physical Review Research 6: 023319 (2024). SI Videos
  7. A. Zakharov, D. A. Beller.
    "Sequences of dislocation reactions and helicity transformations in tubular crystals."
    Physical Review Materials 8: 055601 (2024).
  8. K. A. Mitchell, Md M. H. Sabbir, K. Geumhan, S. A. Smith, B. Klein, D. A. Beller.
    "Maximally mixing active nematics."
    Physical Review E 109: 014606 (2024).
  9. F. J. Schwarzendahl, D. A. Beller.
    "Do active nematic self-mixing dynamics help growing bacterial colonies to maintain local genetic diversity?"
    Frontiers in Physics 10: 940980 (2022).
  10. A. Zakharov, D. A. Beller.
    "Shape multistability in flexible tubular crystals through interactions of mobile dislocations."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119: e2115423119 (2022).
  11. S. Ettinger, C. F. Dietrich, C. K. Mishra, C. Miksch, D. A. Beller, P. J. Collings, and A. G. Yodh.
    "Rods in a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal: Emergence of chirality, symmetry-breaking alignment, and caged angular diffusion."
    Soft Matter 18: 487 (2021).
  12. F. L. Memarian, J. D. Lopes, F. J. Schwarzendahl, M. G. Athani, N. Sarpangala, A. Gopinathan, D. A. Beller, K. Dasbiswas, L. S. Hirst.
    "Active nematic order and dynamic lane formation of microtubules driven by membrane bound diffusing motors."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118: e2117107118 (2021).
  13. N. Tanjeem, W. H. Wilkin, D. A. Beller, C. H. Rycroft, V. N. Manoharan.
    "Geometrical frustration and defect formation in growth of colloidal nanoparticle crystals on a cylinder: Implications for assembly of chiral nanomaterials."
    ACS Applied Nano Materials 4: 10682 (2021).
  14. J. X. Velez, Z. Zheng, D. A. Beller, F. Serra.
    "Emergence and stabilization of transient twisted defect structures in confined achiral liquid crystals at a phase transition."
    Soft Matter 17: 3848 (2021).
  15. G. Duclos, R. Adkins, D. Banerjee, M. S.. E. Peterson, M. Varghese, I. Kolvin, A. Baskaran, R. A. Pelcovits, T. R. Powers, A. Baskaran, F. Toschi, M. F. Hagan, S. J. Streichan, V. Vitelli, D. A. Beller, Z. Dogic.
    “Topological structure and dynamics of three-dimensional active nematics."
    Science 367: 1120 (2020).
  16. D. M. Sussman, D. A. Beller.
    “Fast, scalable, and interactive software for Landau-de Gennes numerical modeling of nematic topological defects."
    Frontiers in Physics 7: 204 (2019).
  17. S. Chu, M. Kardar, D. R. Nelson, D. A. Beller.
    “Evolution in range expansions with competition at rough boundaries."
    Journal of Theoretical Biology 478: 153 (2019).
  18. Y. Luo, T. Yao, D. A. Beller, F. Serra, K. J. Stebe.
    "Deck the Walls with Anisotropic Colloids in Nematic Liquid Crystals."
    Langmuir 35: 9274 (2019).
  19. G. Boniello, Y. Luo, D. A. Beller, F. Serra, K. J. Stebe.
    "Colloids in confined liquid crystals: a plot twist in the lock-and-key mechanism."
    Soft Matter 15: 5220 (2019).
  20. A. Suh, M.-J. Gim, D. Beller, D. K. Yoon.
    "Topological defects and geometric memory across the nematic-smectic a liquid crystal phase transition."
    Soft Matter 15: 5835 (2019).
  21. Y. Luo, D. A. Beller, G. Boniello, F. Serra, K. J. Stebe.
    "Tunable colloid trajectories in nematic liquid crystals near wavy walls."
    Nature Communications, 9: 3841 (2018).
  22. D. A. Beller, K. M. J. Alards, F. Tesser, R. A. Mosna, F. Toschi, W. Möbius.
    "Evolution of populations expanding on curved surfaces."
    Europhysics Letters (EPL) 123: 58005 (2018).
  23. M. A. Gharbi, D. A. Beller, N. Sharifi Mood, R. Gupta, R. D. Kamien, S. Yang, K. J. Stebe.
    "Elastocapillary driven assembly of particles at free-standing smectic-A films."
    Langmuir 34: 2006 (2018).
  24. M.-J. Gim*, D. A. Beller*, D. K. Yoon.
    "Morphogenesis of liquid crystal topological defects during the nematic-smectic a phase transition."
    Nature Communications, 8: 15453 (2017).
  25. Y. Luo, F. Serra, D. A. Beller, M. A. Gharbi, N. Li, S. Yang, R. D. Kamien, K. J. Stebe.
    "Around the corner: Colloidal assembly and wiring in groovy nematic cells."
    Physical Review E, 93: 032705 (2016).
  26. Y. Xia, E. Lee, H. Hu, M. A. Gharbi, D. A. Beller, E.-K. Fleischmann, R. D. Kamien, R. Zentel, S. Yang.
    "Better actuation through chemistry: Using surface coatings to create uniform director fields in nematic liquid crystal elastomers."
    ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 8: 12466 (2016).
  27. L. Tran, M. O. Lavrentovich, D. A. Beller, N. Li, K. J. Stebe, R. D. Kamien.
    “Lassoing saddle splay and the geometrical control of topological defects."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 113: 7106 (2016).
  28. D. A. Beller, D. R. Nelson.
    "Plastic deformation of tubular crystals by dislocation glide."
    Physical Review E, 94: 033004 (2016).
  29. D. A. Beller, M. A. Gharbi, I. B. Liu.
    "Shape-controlled orientation and assembly of colloids with sharp edges in nematic liquid crystals."
    Soft Matter, 11: 1078 (2015).
  30. A. Honglawan, D. S. Kim, D. A. Beller, D. K. Yoon, M. A. Gharbi, K. J. Stebe, R. D. Kamien, S. Yang.
    "Synergistic assembly of nanoparticles in smectic liquid crystals."
    Soft Matter, 11: 7367 (2015).
  31. M. A. Lohr, M. Cavallaro, D. A. Beller, K. J. Stebe, R. D. Kamien, P. J. Collings, A. G. Yodh.
    "Elasticity-dependent self-assembly of micro-templated chromonic liquid crystal films."
    Soft Matter, 10: 3477 (2014).
  32. D. A. Beller, T. Machon, S. Čopar, D. M. Sussman, G. P. Alexander, R. D. Kamien, R. A. Mosna.
    "Geometry of the cholesteric phase."
    Physical Review X, 4: 031050 (2014).
  33. M. Cavallaro*, M. A. Gharbi*, D. A. Beller*, S. Čopar, Z. Shi, T. Baumgart, S. Yang, R. D. Kamien, K. J. Stebe.
    "Exploiting imperfections in the bulk to direct assembly of surface colloids."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110: 18804 (2013).
  34. D. A. Beller*, M. A. Gharbi*, A. Honglawan*, K. J. Stebe, S. Yang, R. D. Kamien.
    "Focal conic flower textures at curved interfaces."
    Physical Review X, 3: 041026 (2013).
  35. M. A. Gharbi, M. Cavallaro Jr., G. Wu, D. A. Beller, R. D. Kamien, S. Yang, K. J. Stebe.
    "Microbullet assembly: interactions of oriented dipoles in confined nematic liquid crystal."
    Liquid Crystals, 40: 1619 (2013).
  36. M. Cavallaro Jr.*, M. A. Gharbi*, D. A. Beller*, S. Čopar, Z. Shi, R. D. Kamien, S. Yang, T. Baumgart, K. J. Stebe.
    "Ring around the colloid."
    Soft Matter, 9: 9099 (2013).
  37. A. Honglawan*, D. Beller*, M. Cavallaro, R. Kamien, K. Stebe, S. Yang.
    "Topographically induced hierarchical assembly and geometrical transformation of focal conic domain arrays in smectic liquid crystals."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110: 34 (2013).
  38. R. Mosna, D. Beller, R. Kamien.
    "Breaking the rules for topological defects: Smectic order on conical substrates."
    Physical Review E, 86: 011707 (2012).
  39. A. Honglawan, D. A. Beller, M. Cavallaro, R. D. Kamien, K. J. Stebe, S. Yang.
    "Pillar-assisted epitaxial assembly of toric focal conic domains of smectic-A liquid crystals."
    Advanced Materials, 23:5519 (2011).
  40. E. Barry, D. Beller, Z. Dogic.
    "A model liquid crystalline system based on rodlike viruses with variable chirality and persistence length."
    Soft Matter, 5:2563 (2009).

(“*” denotes shared first-author contribution.)

Invited commentaries#

  1. D. A. Beller.
    "Symmetry depends on scale in cellular monolayers."
    Nature Physics (2023).
  2. M. A. Gharbi, D. A. Beller, A. Honglawan, K. J. Stebe, S. Yang, R. D. Kamien.
    "Controlling liquid crystal defects."
    SPIE Newsroom (2014).