We are interested in using physical principles to understand the structure and function of eukaryotic cells and their components. One long standing area of interest has been understanding the molecular basis for cellular mechanics, particular in motor neurons and endothelial cells. This in turn has lead to studies on disordered proteins, which appear to function as nanomechanical springs in some situtations. More recently we have begun to study how cells interpret spatial and chemical information in their envirnoment using micropatterned substrates. We are also continuing with work on mechanically based biosensing and mechanisms of lipid membrane fusion.