Two core principles underlie bacterial physiology. The first, articulated in the 1950s, is balanced growth — the idea that all cellular components increase at the same rate. The second is precision control — the cell’s ability to coordinate spatial and temporal events, such as DNA replication and division, with remarkable accuracy. Reconciling these two principles poses a conceptual challenge rarely addressed in biology textbooks. In this talk, I will show how bacteria achieve physiological homeostasis and precise regulation under balanced growth, revealing mechanisms fundamentally different from those emphasized in eukaryote-centric models.
Suckjoon Jun was trained as a theoretical physicist and began his laboratory work as a Bauer Fellow at Harvard University in 2007. It was there that he transitioned to experimental quantitative biology. In 2012, he relocated his lab to UCSD, significantly contributing to the institution's reputation as a leading force in quantitative biology. His accolades include being named an Allen Distinguished Investigator (2013), a Pew Scholar (2013), and a Scialog Fellow (2015). Furthermore, he has been honored with the NSF CAREER award (2013), the Lattimer Award (2019), and the Michael and Kate Bárány Award from the Biophysical Society (2022).