Oxford Mathematician Maria Bruna has won a prestigious L'Oréal UK & Ireland Fellowship For Women in Science. Launched in January 2007, the Fellowships are awards offered by a partnership between L'Oréal UK & Ireland, the UK National Commission for UNESCO and the Irish National Commission for UNESCO, with the support of the Royal Society.

A tree branch, a ram's horn, your hand - how have these distinct and consistent shapes come about? The growth and form of a biological entity is a complex matter that involves integrated activities across a number of length scales. Viewed at the scale of tissues, or large clusters of cells, understanding growth and form is a problem well suited for continuum mechanics and mathematical modelling.