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)

Positions held

Research program integrating developmental biology with quantitative biophysics investigates how mechanical forces and biochemical signaling coordinate mesoderm morphogenesis during axial segmentation and somite formation in the chicken embryo. Our work combines quantitative experimental approaches with physical modeling to study tissue mechanics and pattern formation, treating the mesoderm as an active material governed by collective cellular dynamics.

Publications

1. A. Michaut, A. Mongera, A. Gupta, OA Tarazona, M Serra, GM Kefala, P Rigoni, JG Lee, F. Rivas, AR Hall, L. Mahadevan* , K. Guevorkian*, O. Pourquié*, “Extracellular volume expansion drives vertebrate axis elongation”, Curr Biol.35(4):843-853.e6. (2025) (*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

Invited talks

• Nanoengineering for Mechanobiology (N4M) Conference, Camogli, Italy (March 27–31, 2022).
• Laboratoire LAMBE, Université d’Evry, Evry, France (2021).
• Laboratoire Jean Perrin, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France (2021).
• ICAM Annual Conference, Hsinchu City, Taiwan (January 2019).
• 3rd Course on Multiscale Integration in Biological Systems, Institut Curie, Paris, France
  (November 2018).
• Curie–Weizmann Meeting, Institut Curie, Paris, France (May 2018).
• Brown University, 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 (December 2014).
• Université de Strasbourg, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire,
  Strasbourg, France (December 2011).
• Université de Toulouse, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, Toulouse,
  France (November 2011).
• Université de Strasbourg, Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires, Strasbourg,
  France (October 2010).
• Université Aix-Marseille II, Laboratoire d’Adhésion Cellulaire et Inflammation, Marseille,
  France (October 2010).
• CEFIPRA Workshop on Soft Interfaces and Self-Organization, École Supérieure de Chimie
  et de Physique Industrielles (ESPCI), Paris, France (July 2010).
• Université Montpellier II, LCVM, Montpellier, France (November 2009).
• Department of Cell Biology and Oncology, Mario Negri Sud, Chieti, Italy (May 2007).
• Institut Curie, Laboratoire Physico-Chimie, Paris, France (2006).
• Institut Charles Sadron, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France (2006).

Supervision and Instruction

• PhD supervisor to Georgia Kefala (2023–ongoing), mentoring research on mesoderm segmentation under controlled ex vivo conditions through the development of microfluidic approaches (co-supervised with Benoit Sorre).
• Postdoctoral advisor to Pauline Gehan (2022–2024), mentoring advanced research in tissue
  mechanics and morphogenesis.
• PhD co-supervisor to Arthur Michaut (2014–2018, IGBMC, Université de Strasbourg), mentoring research on mesoderm mechanics and tissue rheology during vertebrate axis elongation (co-supervised with Olivier Pourquié).
• Mentored several Master’s students on research projects in developmental biology, biophysics, Cell and tissue mechanics, experimental instrumentation.
• Taught undergraduate course in Information Technology (L1: Technologies de l’information et de la communication, 20 hrs), Paris Descartes University, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences (2012).
• Graduate Teaching Assistant, Physics Department, Brown University (2000–2001). Taught undergraduate laboratory courses in Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, and Optics (total 120 hrs).

Professional Activities