I’m interested in a simple question with big implications: how do embryos reliably build complex shapes? I tackle this using two model systems—(1) the segmentation clock, a network of coupled biological oscillators, and (2) cilia-driven fluid flows that establish left–right patterning. By combining live imaging of mouse embryos with quantitative image analysis and mathematical modeling (dynamical systems and computational fluid dynamics), I aim to uncover the design principles that make pattern formation and morphogenesis robust.