My Research
In rheology and soft matter physics, there are unique opportunities to turn low-cost raw materials into high-value products by careful processing of the microstructure. Demixing instabilities and reversible/irreversible polymerization reactions are especially powerful tools in this respect, but for systems under non-linear and non-equilibrium flow conditions they are also challenging to control and costly to optimize. In these respects, continuum modeling tools can help inform design decisions, especially at time-scales and length-scales where physical experiments cannot match the low cost, high speed, and parallelizability of in-silico experiments.
Our research interests primarily lie in the design and application of microscopically-derived continuum modeling tools, especially for entangled polymers, wormlike micelles, and dense suspensions. In priciple, such modeling tools provide a link between the microscopic characteristics of a fluid and its bulk flow behavior - yielding valueable insights for both material formulation and processing strategies during scale-up. The most interesting problems, in my opinion, are those in which continuum modeling tools are able to link a bulk flow instability to microscopic characteristics of the fluid itself. In my research, I have found success working within existing modeling frameworks (e.g. two-fluid models) and also in developing my own frameworks (e.g. population balance rheology).
Separate to the challenge of designing a microscopically-derived continuum model is another challenge: simplifying that model to the point where it is useful for complex flow calculations. I like to find new ways of writing the equations (e.g. an “inverse CDF” method for population balances) and approximation-free simplification strategies like asymptotic methods, closure approximations, and Legendre-Galerkin approximations. Through such simplifications, it is often possible to preserve the principal advantages of a microscopic model (i.e. its connection to measurable/tuneable microscopic properties) without any restriction to the range of complex flow conditions that one might be interested to explore.
In the workflow diagram below, my research centers around developing the "black box" computational framework that links design objectives to optimized processing conditions and formulation chemistries.
To explore past projects and publications in more detail, please see the google scholar page linked below, or watch the videos on the front page.