Soft Matter & Interface Science
Research in our group focuses on applying fundamental engineering principles to understand and engineer interfacial processes. Interfaces are everywhere, so our research has applications ranging from creating biomimetic materials for drug delivery, fabricating emulsions for the food, petrochemical, and environmental remediation industries, and to developing functional particle coatings via interfacial assembly. We design and utilize well-defined model experiments to duplicate the essential physics of these intricate problems, building in complexity through a bottom-up approach. In the realm of biophysics, we are interested in membrane transport phenomena, particularly how particle/membrane interactions and material properties can be measured, controlled, and exploited. In colloid science, we are examining how particle size, shape and surface topography can be manipulated to control assembly and material properties at immiscible fluid interfaces and in the development novel self-assembled materials using external fields. Our research is interdisciplinary, possessing strong intellectual overlap between chemical engineering, physics, biology, and materials science.