CV

Education

Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France,
Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (July 2015)

Brown University, Providence, RI, USA,
Ph.D. in Physics (Sept. 2002-May 2006)
Sc. M. in Physics (Sept. 2000-Sept 2002)                 
Advisor: Prof. James M. Valles, Jr.
PhD dissertation: “Experimental studies of protozoan response to intense magnetic fields and forces”.

Tehran University, Tehran, Iran
Sc. M. in Physics (Sept. 1997-Feb. 1999)

Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran
B. S. in Physics (Sept. 1992-Dec. 1996)

Work experience

Project leader (CRCN-CR1) at Curie Institute, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Paris, France (Jan. 2017-) 

Studies the role of mechanical cues and biochemical signalling during the mesodermal morphogenesis and the formation of somites in chicken embryos, notably the stresses produced by the cytoskeletal elements and mechanical processes during the mesenchymal to epithelial transitions along the antero-posterior axis.

Visiting Scientist at Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Department of Genetics, Boston MA, USA (Nov. 2015-Dec. 2016). 

Studied the role of factors affecting cell motility and tissue rheology on axis elongation during the development of vertebrate embryos in the group of Olivier Pourquié in collaboration with the group of L. Mahadevan at Harvard University. Using soft matter approaches, such as rounding and fusion experiments, studied the change in the mechanics along the axis of developing embryos in ex-vivo setup.

CNRS Research Scientist at IGBMC, Department of Developmental Biology, Illkirch, France (Oct. 2012-Sept. 2016).
with Dr. Olivier Pourquié.

Studied cell dynamics and tissue rheology during the axis elongation process in chicken embryo. Set up a micropipette aspiration technique to study the rheological properties of the presomitic mesoderm. Developed a bead tracking technique for an in situ study of tissue flow during elongation.

Postdoctoral Fellow at Curie Institute, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Paris, France (Sept. 2010- June2012) with Dr. Cécile Sykes.

Studied the mechanics of biomimetic systems consisting of lipid vesicles (GUVs) encapsulating a biomimetic actin cortex. Using a nanotube pulling techniques based on hydrodynamic flow, the dynamics of the membrane was probed and the effect of the biomimetic cortex on lipid flow and tube formation was evaluated.

Postdoctoral Fellow at Curie Institute, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie Curie, Paris, France (Nov. 2006 – July 2010).
with Prof. Françoise Brochard-Wyart. 

Research involved studies of mechanical properties of cellular aggregates as model tissues. Developed a new experimental technique based on micropipette aspiration whereby investigated the active mechanosensitive behavior of cellular aggregates to aspiration-induced external stresses. Studied the rheological properties of cellular aggregates by means of aspiration techniques. In a second project studied membrane tube dynamics on lipid vesicles.  Designed and developed a cell-chip using micro-contact printing technique to extract membrane tubes from a population of cells or vesicles.

PhD Researcher at Brown University, Department of Physics, Providence, RI, USA (Sept. 2001 – May 2006).
with Prof. James Valles.

Doctoral research focused on the study of the gravitational sensitivity of swimming protozoa, notably Paramecium caudatum in magnetically simulated gravities. Investigated the effects of intense static magnetic fields on the swimming of Paramecium caudatum. Developed a novel experimental technique using intense magnetic fields to exert forces to biological matter. Designed and developed an in-situ imaging system and apparatus suitable for investigating the swimming of protozoa in magnetic fields up to 31 Tesla.

Masters Internship at Tehran University, Department of Physics, Tehran, Iran (Sept. 1997 – Feb. 1999).
with Prof. Ramin Abolfath.
Master’s dissertation: “Single wide quantum wells in the presence of external electric and magnetic fields“.

Master’s research involved development of computational methods to evaluate the effects of external electric and magnetic fields on a single wide quantum well using local density approximation.

Publications

  1. A. Michaut, A. Mongera, A. Gupta, M. Serra, P. Rigoni, J. G. Lee, F. Duarte, A. R. Hall, L. Mahadevan*, K. Guevorkian*, O. Pourquié*, “Activity-driven extracellular volume expansion drives vertebrate axis elongation“, bioRxiv (*co-corresponding author).
  2. I. Regev*, K. Guevorkian*, A. Gupta*, O. Pourquié, and L. Mahadevan, “Rectified random cell motility as a mechanism for embryo elongation”, Development, 149(6):dev199423 (2022) (*equal contribution).
  3. K. Guevorkian, F. Brochard-Wyart, D. Gonzalez-Rodriguez, “Flow dynamics of 3D multicellular systems into capillaries”, in Viscoelasticity and Collective Cell Migration, I Pajic-Lijakovic and E Barriga (Eds). Elsevier Science, ISBN978-0-12-820310-1, 2021.
  4. A. Allard et al, “Actin modulates shape and mechanics of tubular membranes”, Sci. Adv., 6(17), eaaz3050 (2020).
  5. M. Oginuma, P. Moncuquet, F. Xiong, E. Karoly, J. Chal, K. Guevorkian, and O. Pourquié, “A gradient of glycolytic activity coordinates FGF and Wnt signaling during elongation of the body axis in amniote embryos”, Dev. Cell., 40: 342-353 (2017).
  6. K. Guevorkian, and and J.L. Maître, “Micropipette aspiration: a unique tool for exploring cell and tissue mechanics in vivo”, Methods Cell. Biol., 139:187-201 (2016).
  7. K. Guevorkian, J. Manzi, F. Brochard-Wyart, and C. Sykes, “Mechanics of biomimetic liposomes encapsulating an actin shell”, Biophys. J., 109: 2471-2479 (2015).
  8. I. Jung, K. Guevorkian, and J. M. Valles, “Trapping of Swimming Microorganisms at Lower Surfaces by Increasing Buoyancy”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 218101 (2014).
  9. J. Lemière, K. Guevorkian, C. Campillo, C. Sykes,  and T. Betz, “α-hemolysin membrane pore density measured on liposomes”, Soft Matter, 9, 3181-3187 (2013).
  10. D. Gonzalez-Rodriguez*, K. Guevorkian*, S. Douezan*, and F. Brochard-Wyart, “Soft Matter Models of Developing Tissues and Tumors”, Science, 338 (6109): 910-917 (2012) (*equal  contribution).
  11. K. Guevorkian*, D. Gonzalez-Rodriguez*, C. Carlier, S. Dufour, and F. Brochard-Wyart, “Mechanosensitive shivering of model tissues under controlled aspiration”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 108 (33): 13387-13392 (2011) (*equal  contribution).
  12. S. Douezan, K. Guevorkian, R. Naouar, S. Dufour, D. Cuvelier, and F. Brochard-Wyart, “Spreading dynamics and wetting transition of cellular aggregates”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 108 (18): 7315-7320 (2011).
  13. M. Murrell, L. L. Pontani, K. Guevorkian, D. Cuvelier, P. Nassoy, and C. Sykes, “Spreading Dynamics of Biomimetic Actin Cortices”, Biophy. J., 100: 1400-1409 (2011).
  14. K. Guevorkian, M. J. Colbert, M. Durth, S. Dufour, and F. Brochard-Wyart, “Aspiration of biological viscoelastic drops”, Phys. Rev. Lett., 104: 218101 (2010).
  15. C. B. Coleman et al, “Diamagnetic levitation changes growth, cell cycle, and gene expression of Saccharomyces cerevisiae”, Biotechnol. Bioeng. 98(4): 854-63 (2007).
  16. K. Guevorkian and J. M. Valles, Jr., “Swimming Paramecium in magnetically simulated enhanced, reduced and inverted gravity environments”.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103(35): 13051-13056 (2006).
  17. K. Guevorkian and J. M. Valles, Jr.,  “Aligning Paramecium caudatum with static magnetic fields”, Biophys. J., 90: 3004-3011 (2006).
  18. K. Guevorkian and J. M. Valles, Jr., “In situ imaging of microorganisms in intense magnetic fields”, Rev. Sci. Inst., 76: 103706 (2005).
  19. K. Guevorkian and J. M. Valles, Jr., “Varying the effective buoyancy of cells using magnetic forces”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 84(24): 4863-4865  (2004).
  20. J. M. Valles, Jr. and K. Guevorkian, “Manipulating cells with static magnetic fields”, Material Processing in Magnetic Fields. Wanda H., Schneider-Muntau H. J., editors. World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. (2005).
  21. J. M. Valles, Jr. and K. Guevorkian, “Low Gravity on Earth by Magnetic Levitation of Biological Material”, Journal of Gravitational Physiology 9: 11 (2002).

Grants, Fellowships and Awards

  • LabEx Cell(n)Scale Project grant (2023-24).
  • CNRS INC Emergence grant (2021-2022).
  • Sorbonne Université Emergence grant (2021-2023).
  • The French National Research Agency (ANR) young researchers’ grant (Oct. 2014-Sept. 2017).
  • European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) postdoctoral fellowship (July 2007-July 2009).
  • Dissertation Fellowship, Brown University (Jan. 2005-May 2005).
  • Student Travel Grants for the APS March Meeting (2005, 2006).
  • Golowskie Fellowship (awarded to promising graduate students), Brown University (Summer 2001).
  • Forest Award, “Excellent Work Related to Experimental Apparatus”, Brown University (2006).
  • Best Bachelor in Physics Award, Iran University of Science and Technology (1996).

Invited talks

  • Université d’Evry, LAMBE, Evry (2021).
  • Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire Jean Perrin, Paris (2021).
  • ICAM Annual Conference, HsinChu City, Taiwan (Jan. 2019).
  • 3rd course on Multiscale Integration in Biological Systems, Institut Curie, Paris, France (Nov. 2018).
  • Curie-Weizmann Meeting, Institut Curie, Paris, France (May 2018).
  • Brown Univeristy, Department of Physics, Providence, RI, USA (April 2016).
  • McGill University, Department of Physics, Montréal, QC, Canada (April 2016).
  • Université Paris VII, Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Paris, France (March 2016).
  • Société Française de Physique, 23ième congrès général, Strasbourg, France (August 2015).
  • École Polytechnique,  Laboratoire d’Hydrodynamique, Palaiseau, France (Dec. 2014).
  • Université de Strasbourg, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Strasbourg, France (Dec. 2011).
  • Université de Toulouse, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse, France (Nov. 2011).
  • Université de Strasbourg, Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, Strasbourg, France (Oct. 2010).
  • Université Aix-Marseille 2, Laboratoire d’Adhésion Cellulaire et Inflammation, Marseille, France (Oct. 2010).
  • CEFIPRA Workshop on Soft Interfaces and Self-organization, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles (ESPCI), Paris, France (July 2010).
  • Université Montpellier II, LCVM, Montpellier, France (Nov. 2009).
  • Department of Cell Biology and Oncology, Mario Negri Sud, Chieti, Italy (May, 2007).
  • Institut Curie, Physico-Chimie Curie, Paris, France (2006).
  • Charles Sadron Institute, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France (2006).