A Look Behind the Lens

The Symbiosis program brings together researchers at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute and New York–based filmmakers and moving-image artists to co-create original, research-driven short films. The program encourages bold experimentation, interdisciplinary storytelling and the exploration of ideas and experiences.

For the 2026 edition, Symbiosis joins the Simons Foundation’s Infinite Sums national math initiative, which celebrates the beauty of mathematics. Over the course of two weeks this April, five researcher-filmmaker duos will dive into the math underlying scientific phenomena — from the hidden symmetries of galaxies down to the emergent patterns of systems of many quantum particles. Their collaborations will reveal how math is both a fundamental element of the universe’s beauty and a key driver of scientific knowledge and discovery.

Join us for a special screening of one of the five new films and a behind-the-scenes conversation with its co-creators, who won’t be revealed until the event. Moderated by filmmaker and Labocine founder Alexis Gambis, the conversation will explore the creators’ personal experiences, creative process and the inspirations that shaped their collaboration.

Katifori obtained her Ph.D. degree in physics from Harvard, followed by a fellowship at the Center for Studies in Physics and Biology at Rockefeller University in New York. In 2012, she started a position as an independent group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Germany, and in 2015, she joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Katifori is a recipient of a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface, an NSF Career Award and the APS DSOFT Early Career Award. Her research interests are primarily theoretical and span broad areas, including soft-matter physics with a focus on biologically inspired physics, biological transport networks and thin-shell elasticity.

Guo studies individuals’ travel behavior and explores innovative ways to influence that decision-making process to produce better social outcomes, such as reduced congestion and carbon emissions. At the micro level, he focuses on how travelers perceive travel alternatives and attributes, the discrepancies between perception and reality, and the ability to reinforce, change, or even deceive that perception to promote certain behaviors. At the macro level, he is interested in the effects of regulations — such as parking and street standards, mandatory affordable housing and speed limits — on accessibility, equity and safety. Guo has conducted empirical work in Boston, London, Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, and Hong Kong. Guo received a B.Arch. from Tianjin University, an MUD from Tsinghua University, China, and an MCP and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Conversation Moderator: Simolke joined the Simons Foundation in 2019 as the outreach coordinator for the President’s Office before transitioning to the Science, Society & Culture team in 2021. As program manager, she leads the division’s Researcher Engagement Program and oversees both the Presidential Lectures and the Presents public event series. She also plays an integral part in advancing the division’s national initiatives, with a focus on programs that support science engagement in rural communities and small towns across the country. Prior to coming to the foundation, Simolke served as the administrative manager of the Global Business Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds bachelor’s degrees in public relations and Spanish from Appalachian State University and completed her master’s studies in communication at the University of Chile.