(7ck) Controlling the Dynamics of Soft Materials at Interfaces

My research program is focused on controlling and engineering the dynamics, transport and mechanics of soft materials (i,e., complex fluids, bacterial biofilms, swarming bacteria, polymer hydrogels, colloidal systems, etc.) at surfaces and interfaces. Examples of questions that my research program addresses include — How can we measure in-situ the collective spatio-temporal patterns of cell differentiation within microbial communities and biofilms? How can we understand and mathematically model the resulting emergent collective mechanical properties (such as stiffness, surface tension, osmotic pressure, fluid transport, jamming and clogging) in both these complex systems, and simplier model experimental analogs? How should we engineer interfaces to control and direct the growth of living matter? By applying surface patterning, wrinkling and chemical functionalization techniques, fluorescence microscopy visualization, reporter labeling and genetic techniques, image analysis and mathematical modeling, I am interested in studying the out-of-equilibrium properties and dynamic transitions in diverse surface-associated biological and physical processes across many length and time scales.

My broad research interests are in structure-property relationships in physical and biological processes, wherein a quantitative understanding of the physicochemical hydrodynamics at the micron scale can illuminate complex emergent behavior at larger scales. My research program aims to to explore both practical and fundamental questions in interfacial fluid mechanics, polymeric materials, surface engineering, and biologically active matter by applying experimental imaging methods, combined with analytical and modeling techniques. In synergy with my skills in analysis and modeling, the data sets generated by my experimental program will allow my group to quantitatively develop useful predictive and descriptive theories and models. Additionally, I envision strong collaborations with other experimental groups for this purpose. In the long-term, I envision building a collaborative research group that is at the forefront of discovering fundamental physical and biological mechanisms in complex interfacial systems leading to innovative engineering solutions to control the growth of living matter at interfaces.

Teaching Interests:

My background and mathematical training allows me to teach a broad set of courses that encompasses the core chemical engineering syllabus including fluid dynamics, transport phenomena, statistical thermodynamics, reaction and kinetic engineering and colloid and interfacial phenomena at both the graduate and the undergraduate level. My immediate preferences would be in teaching fluid dynamics and transport to graduate and undergraduate students, a subject that I am especially passionate about and is related to my research interests. In the long term, I intend to develop an advanced graduate level class on Biological Soft Matter.