(4n) Self-Assembly of Evolvable and Functional Colloidal Polymeric Materials

Building blocks can gather into larger, purposeful structures through self-assembly. It requires that particles be able to organize and bind in pre-programmed ways. Biology is the ultimate example of self-assembly: organisms routinely grow on length scales that span the Angstrom to the meter despite needing to assemble in different conditions and circumstances. Life assembles robustly while we struggle to design complex self-assembled structures. Simple structures such as crystals or amorphous gels can be made, but large or complex structures lacking a repeating order are still beyond our reach.

I have developed a unique platform for colloidal self-assembly: a system of emulsion droplets that have both controlled valence and fluid bonds. DNA tethered to emulsion droplets self-organizes into a defined and controllable number of adhesions. This allows for the self-assembly or field-assembly of flexible colloidal polymers that can span hundreds of millimeters. I have already demonstrated the self-assembly of flexible colloidal polymers and compared their properties to molecular polymers (published in PRL, an editor’s choice and featured in Physics). In a soon-to-be published work (delayed due to COVID-19 lock-downs), we have shown that weak secondary interactions can be added to these microscopic polymers, in either AAAA or ABAB sequences. These weak interactions collapse or fold the polymer when cooled below a given melting temperature. We have shown that even the simplest possible sequence (ABAB) allows for the control of folding pathways and kinetics.

Here, I outline a research program using bio-inspired approaches to guide the self-assembly of matter with four separate projects. First, I will study the folding, replication, and systematic evolution of sequenced colloidal polymers. I will study the properties of active and flexible colloidal polymers and explore their applications in soft actuators and artificial muscles. I will create and study the mechanics of braided and knitted colloidal polymeric materials. Finally, I will synthesize artificial colloidal neurons capable of propagating information down pathways that assemble themselves.

I am confident in my ability to secure funding for these projects. I have already co-written one successful internal seed grant and two successful NSF proposals.

Teaching Interests

Excellent teaching and excellent research can not only co-exist, but can strengthen and support one another. I will outline my teaching experience, my commitment to diversity, and my teaching plans.

I worked as a private tutor for several years. I home-schooled two children, one in biology and one in high school chemistry. I was the teaching assistant for the graduate and advanced undergraduate lab courses and a teaching assistant for introductory physics for pre-medical students. I also proposed, developed, and taught my own course for the summer pre-college program at Brown University. The course covered the basics of electricity and magnetism, taught through the prism of Nikolai Tesla in order to engage the high school students I was to be teaching.

I aim to nurture and develop a safe learning and research environment for people from different backgrounds, including class, race, gender identity, sexuality, and physical ability. I am committed to my status as a lifelong student, continually learning the changing landscape of progressivism. To help pursue these goals, I am currently the postdoctoral representative on the NYU Physics Department’s Committee on Equity and Inclusion.

We must be committed to evidence-based practices in teaching, just as in the lab. I am committed to developing student-centered approaches to teaching, whenever possible. In the pre-college course I developed, I attempted to keep lecture duration to a minimum and focus on demonstrations and in-class breakout sessions as much as possible. I also hope to have the opportunity to learn from my future colleagues. Upon arrival, I would be able to teach advanced undergraduate and graduate level courses related to my past training, such as statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and soft materials. I would also enjoy the opportunity to eventually teach introductory courses. To gain familiarity with the undergraduate material, I would hope to begin as a recitation leader, following the concept of team teaching as outlined by L.E. Scriven. This would allow me to both learn teaching techniques and the necessary material for introductory courses from my more experienced colleagues.