My research focuses on understanding the fundamentals of soft matter systems, in particular, Stimuli-Responsive Polymers.  

 Soft matter is everywhere. We brush our teeth using it, take a refreshing bath with it, protect and beautify our face with it, the soothing soup, the soft-soft idlis, and the yummy sambar, our skin, tissues, cells, and muscles are all classical examples of soft matter. The bricks of soft matter are particles/chains with length scales between several nanometers to micrometres. Due to their large structural length scale, the number density of particles constituting soft matter system reduces by many orders (~12 orders) of magnitude, smaller than for an ordinary atomic/molecular material. The relatively small number density and weak interactions between the structural units result in their easy deformation by external forces, and this is what makes them SOFT. Think of how our skin gently yields when we press it-that’s soft matter in action!