Luiza Angheluta is a Professor of Physics at the University of Oslo. She received the Fridtjof Nansen Award for Young Researchers in 2012 and HM the King’s Gold Medal in 2011. Her research uses theoretical statistical physics and computational physics to understand emergence phenomena and pattern formations in systems with topological defects, including superfluids, crystals, liquid crystals, and active matter. This is an interdisciplinary research that aims to better our understanding of the material properties and functionalities of geomaterials, biological systems, and bio-inspired materials.