Malcolm Hillebrand
@the-chaotician.bsky.social
Lecturer and researcher of chaos, biophysics and various things dynamic at the University of Cape Town. Previously a postdoc at MPI-PKS in Dresden. Musician and occasional music writer; follower of Jesus.
It will doubtless be illuminating to many looming lumenous luminaries. Enjoy! And good job to Chandra 👏
October 8, 2025 at 8:09 AM
It will doubtless be illuminating to many looming lumenous luminaries. Enjoy! And good job to Chandra 👏
4. Working/collaborating with people from all over the world. Particularly thanks to my time at @mpipks.bsky.social and @csbdresden.bsky.social, I get to talk to scientists from over a dozen countries. It's pretty wild. Without a doubt, science is stronger together! 🇿🇦🇩🇪🇬🇷🇪🇸🇨🇲🇬🇧🇺🇸🇱🇰🇮🇷🇮🇹🇫🇷🇮🇳🇿🇼🇪🇹🇺🇬🇳🇱🇦🇲🇱🇺🇨🇳
June 11, 2025 at 2:22 PM
4. Working/collaborating with people from all over the world. Particularly thanks to my time at @mpipks.bsky.social and @csbdresden.bsky.social, I get to talk to scientists from over a dozen countries. It's pretty wild. Without a doubt, science is stronger together! 🇿🇦🇩🇪🇬🇷🇪🇸🇨🇲🇬🇧🇺🇸🇱🇰🇮🇷🇮🇹🇫🇷🇮🇳🇿🇼🇪🇹🇺🇬🇳🇱🇦🇲🇱🇺🇨🇳
3. Applying for a Visa every year 🛂 (guess what I was busy with yesterday...). Getting to travel for conferences and visits is a huge privilege. The expense, bureaucracy and time needed for Visas is crazy though 😵💫 If you've got a strong passport, enjoy it! And spare us 3rd world souls a thought...
June 10, 2025 at 10:24 AM
3. Applying for a Visa every year 🛂 (guess what I was busy with yesterday...). Getting to travel for conferences and visits is a huge privilege. The expense, bureaucracy and time needed for Visas is crazy though 😵💫 If you've got a strong passport, enjoy it! And spare us 3rd world souls a thought...
2. Fluid dynamics. Now, that's not the most surprising pastime for an applied mathematician. But after being scarred by undergrad FD, I never thought I'd make friends with Navier and Stokes again (although now it's in biological active fluids, so Navier-Stokes++). Never rule anything out!
June 6, 2025 at 2:03 PM
2. Fluid dynamics. Now, that's not the most surprising pastime for an applied mathematician. But after being scarred by undergrad FD, I never thought I'd make friends with Navier and Stokes again (although now it's in biological active fluids, so Navier-Stokes++). Never rule anything out!
1. The one that sparked this idea: Working with videos of actual real cells moving around, recorded through a microscope. I didn't do the experiments, but just doing the image analysis has given me even more respect for the Squishy Specialists who do this all the time 🔬🧬🫡
June 5, 2025 at 2:23 PM
1. The one that sparked this idea: Working with videos of actual real cells moving around, recorded through a microscope. I didn't do the experiments, but just doing the image analysis has given me even more respect for the Squishy Specialists who do this all the time 🔬🧬🫡
"A theorem a day keeps social interaction at bay".
I am however thrilled that the rest of the world now gets to witness the birth of Euclidean Biology! #Iwasthere
Less thrilled that the oldest reference is only 1960. Standards are slipping...
I am however thrilled that the rest of the world now gets to witness the birth of Euclidean Biology! #Iwasthere
Less thrilled that the oldest reference is only 1960. Standards are slipping...
April 25, 2025 at 2:04 PM
"A theorem a day keeps social interaction at bay".
I am however thrilled that the rest of the world now gets to witness the birth of Euclidean Biology! #Iwasthere
Less thrilled that the oldest reference is only 1960. Standards are slipping...
I am however thrilled that the rest of the world now gets to witness the birth of Euclidean Biology! #Iwasthere
Less thrilled that the oldest reference is only 1960. Standards are slipping...
But Hark! Most suddenly exploding
At once, everywhere, everything
Not a puff in sight
Nothing local, not even quite
Discontinuous, without hydro screening
At once, everywhere, everything
Not a puff in sight
Nothing local, not even quite
Discontinuous, without hydro screening
January 31, 2025 at 2:24 PM
But Hark! Most suddenly exploding
At once, everywhere, everything
Not a puff in sight
Nothing local, not even quite
Discontinuous, without hydro screening
At once, everywhere, everything
Not a puff in sight
Nothing local, not even quite
Discontinuous, without hydro screening
Now cranking activity higher
A vortex emerged from the mire
A pair then a trio
Elongated and 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰
Even oscillating, they never did tire
A vortex emerged from the mire
A pair then a trio
Elongated and 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰
Even oscillating, they never did tire
January 31, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Now cranking activity higher
A vortex emerged from the mire
A pair then a trio
Elongated and 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰
Even oscillating, they never did tire
A vortex emerged from the mire
A pair then a trio
Elongated and 𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘰
Even oscillating, they never did tire
The fuel at first was low
And speed commensurately slow
Everything was laminar
To the closest examiner
But there's more than just shear flow
And speed commensurately slow
Everything was laminar
To the closest examiner
But there's more than just shear flow
January 31, 2025 at 2:21 PM
The fuel at first was low
And speed commensurately slow
Everything was laminar
To the closest examiner
But there's more than just shear flow
And speed commensurately slow
Everything was laminar
To the closest examiner
But there's more than just shear flow
There once was an active nematic
Whose motion was most acrobatic
Chaotically it swirled
The threads they all twirled
But the cause was rather dramatic
Whose motion was most acrobatic
Chaotically it swirled
The threads they all twirled
But the cause was rather dramatic
January 31, 2025 at 2:20 PM
There once was an active nematic
Whose motion was most acrobatic
Chaotically it swirled
The threads they all twirled
But the cause was rather dramatic
Whose motion was most acrobatic
Chaotically it swirled
The threads they all twirled
But the cause was rather dramatic
A sunny January day in Dresden? On a weekend?! Now that is a rare sight.
In full disclosure, I too failed to mention the 35km/h winds along my route last week 😆 so we'll call it quits.
In full disclosure, I too failed to mention the 35km/h winds along my route last week 😆 so we'll call it quits.
January 20, 2025 at 6:24 AM
A sunny January day in Dresden? On a weekend?! Now that is a rare sight.
In full disclosure, I too failed to mention the 35km/h winds along my route last week 😆 so we'll call it quits.
In full disclosure, I too failed to mention the 35km/h winds along my route last week 😆 so we'll call it quits.