The Biological Soft Matter group is an experimental research group centered around the soft matter physics of living matter. Our overall aim is to understand the physical mechanisms that govern the self-organization and (active) mechanics of cells and tissues. Our main strategy is to reconstitute synthetic cell models by biochemical reconstitution as well as synthetic tissue models based on cells grown in physiologically relevant extracellular matrices. We perform quantitative experiments based on quantitative light and electron microscopy, single-molecule force spectroscopy, optical microrheology, and macroscopic rheometry. We develop predictive models together with theoretical collaborators and apply physical insights to questions in cell and developmental biology together with biologists.