MISSION: To advance fundamental scientific understanding and conduct use-inspired research for developing sustainable technologies, enhancing quality of life, and educating workforce with technical expertise and social responsibility in the Anthropocene era.
VISION: To be regarded as a leading laboratory in interfacial phenomena, dedicated to generating knowledge and products with lasting impact.
GOAL: To translate nature-inspired fundamental inquiries into use-inspired solutions.
APPROACH: Technical approach integrates hands-on experiments, physics-based modeling, and data-driven AI techniques complemented by a human-centered approach that cultivates a diverse and inclusive environment for multidisciplinary scientists, emphasizing critical thinking, safe laboratory practices, ethical conduct, and professional development.
ACTIVITIES: Nature inspired interfacial engineering of soft and hard materials through process-structure-property correlations. Use- inspired applications of functional materials thermally driven processes by elucidating mechanisms of heat transfer and multiphase flows with applications spanning energy, environmental, and biomedical fields. Data-inspired machine learning techniques are employed to extract insights from experimental and simulation data, enabling predictive modeling and optimization of material properties and interfacial thermal transport phenomena.
Dissemination activities include-
Publishing in high quality peer–reviewed journals
Presentation of work at regional and national conferences
Outreach to K-12 students and teachers for hand on learning experiences
HONORS
Editorial Board, Nature Scientific Reports (2023- Present)
Area Chair of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum, American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE) (2020-Present)
Alternate Councilor, American Chemical Society Toledo Section
Fellow, 2025-2026 Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) Program
Edith Rathbun Outreach and Engagement Excellence Award
Women of Toledo STEM Mentor and Youth Chairperson
If you can design one thing, you can design everything- Massimo Vignelli