Dame Athene Donald has been at the Cavendish since 1983, and became a professor in 1998. Her 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, but these are by no means the only approaches used. Other techniques used include passive microrheological techniques for the study of a range of complex fluids, including the inside of cells; her group is exploring cell adhesion, mitosis and spreading using optical approaches (including the effect of external physical cues such as topographical patterns); they 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. Since October 2014, Dame Athene Donald has been Master of Churchill College.
