About the Author

Manuel Reinhardt was born on May 16, 1996, in Ebersberg, Germany. He grew up with both German and Spanish roots. His early fascination with science and problem-solving led him to participate in the International Physics Olympiad, where he reached the third national round in Germany during the 2013/14 competition.

Driven by a desire to understand the fundamental rules that govern the world, Manuel pursued a Bachelor of Science in physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich from 2014 to 2018. For his bachelor’s thesis, he focused on computational quantum physics, reflecting his growing interest in numerical simulations. Seeking to broaden his horizons, he spent a semester studying abroad at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid as part of the Erasmus+ program.

After his experience abroad, Manuel continued his studies at LMU Munich, graduating with a Master of Science in 2020. Inspired by his previous experience abroad, he decided to complete his master’s thesis in Amsterdam, working under the supervision of Pieter Rein ten Wolde. Part of his work during this period are presented in this thesis.

In 2020, Manuel embarked on his PhD at AMOLF Amsterdam, continuing in the Biochemical Networks group under Pieter Rein ten Wolde’s supervision. His research explores the fundamental principles of biological information flow, using theoretical and computational approaches to understand how cells process information. The results of this research are presented in this thesis.