Joakim Stenhammar

Research interests

Joakim's research focuses on various aspects of computational and theoretical soft matter modelling, in particular systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Some examples of research topics include

• Collective behaviour and non-equilibrium phase transitions in models of swimming microorganisms
• Mass transport and diffusion in biological systems
• Fluctuations and deformation of biomembranes
• Colloidal electrostatics
• Molecular and colloidal self-assembly

Current and previous group members

• Judith Hoffmann, MSc student (2026 - )
• Ismail El Korde, PhD Student (2021-2026) PhD Thesis
• Jason Lewis, Postdoc (2020-2023)
• Henrik Nordanger, PhD Student (2017-2023) PhD Thesis
• Stef van den Hoek, Visiting MSc student, TU Eindhoven (2021)
• Dóra Bárdfalvy, PhD Student (2016-2021) PhD Thesis
• André Nüsslein, Master student (2020) MSc Thesis
• Yoshimi Ryu, Visiting student, Tokyo Metropolitan University (2019)
• Jasper Immink, PhD student (co-supervised with Peter Schurtenberger, 2015-2019) PhD Thesis
• Shan Anjum, Master student (2019) MSc Thesis
• Arash Azari, Postdoc (2015-2017)
• Erik Maris, Master student (co-supervised with Peter Schurtenberger, 2016-2017) MSc Thesis

Academic positions

• Since 1/2024 Division head, Division of physical chemistry, Lund University
• Since 2/2020 Senior lecturer, Division of physical chemistry, Lund University
• 6/2016-1/2020 Associate senior lecturer (tenure track), Division of physical chemistry, Lund University
• 2/2015-5/2016 Researcher, Division of physical chemistry, Lund University
• 4/2012-1/2015 Postdoctoral researcher, School of physics and astronomy, University of Edinburgh

Academic degrees

• 5/2018 Docent (Associate professor) in physical chemistry, Lund University
• 2/2012 PhD in physical chemistry, Lund University. Thesis title: "Theoretical Studies of Simple Polar Fluids" 
• 6/2007 Master of Science (4 years) in chemistry, Lund University
• 6/2007 University diploma (2 years) in musicology, Lund University

Grants and Awards

• 2022 Selected as "Outstanding Reviewer" by Soft Matter
• 2022 Personal grant from the Schyberg Foundation of the Royal Physiographic Society
• 2020-2025 Co-PI on grant Active Matter Goes Smart funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation
• 2020-2024 4-year personal project grant from the Swedish Research Council
• 2017-2021 4-year personal starting grant from the Crafoord Foundation
• 2016-2020 Co-PI on grant Anisotropic Forces in Colloid Chemistry funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation
• 2016-2019 4-year personal starting grant from the Swedish Research Council
• 2015 AkzoNobel Nordic Prize in surface and colloid chemistry
• 2013 Inga Fischer-Hjalmars award for outstanding thesis in theoretical chemistry
• 2012-2015 3-year International Postdoc grant from the Swedish Research Council

Selected presentations

• 9/2025 Keynote speaker, International Soft Matter Conference, Crete
• 6/2024 Invited speaker, Anti-Diffusion in Multiphase and Active Flows, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge
• 3/2024 Invited speaker, 13^th Nordic Workshop on Statistical Physics, Stockholm
• 8/2023 Invited speaker, CECAM workshop Challenges in the Physics of Active and Biological Matter, Helsinki
• 3/2023 Invited speaker, 12^th Nordic Workshop on Statistical Physics, Stockholm
• 7/2022 Invited speaker at the 4-week NORDITA workshop Current and Future Themes in Soft and Biological Active Matter, Stockholm
• 11/2021 Invited speaker, Frontiers in Theoretical Biophysics workshop, Gyeongju, South Korea
• 10/2021 Invited speaker, Tøyen Hovedgård Workshop on Biomechanics, Oslo
• 4/2021 Invited seminar, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University
• 2/2020 Invited speaker, CECAM workshop Frontiers in Computational Methods for Active Matter, Lausanne
• 10/2019 Invited speaker, CECAM workshop Active Matter and Artificial Intelligence, Lausanne
• 4/2019 Invited speaker, Interdisciplinary Challenges in Non-Equilibrium Physics, Edinburgh
• 1/2018 Invited speaker, From Active Matter to Complex Fluids, Nice
• 10/2017 Invited seminar, Centre for Interdisciplinary Mathematics, Uppsala University
• 7/2017 Conference presentation, 10^th Liquid Matter Conference, Ljubljana
• 3/2017 Invited speaker, 8^th Nordic Workshop on Statistical Physics, Stockholm
• 9/2016 Conference presentation, 4^th International Soft Matter Conference, Grenoble
• 8/2016 Invited speaker, Swedish theoretical chemistry, Lund
• 1/2016 Conference presentation, Physical principles of active and biological systems, Edinburgh