I employ theory and computation to describe the universal character of processes arising in Fluid Mechanics and Soft Matter, with applications to materials, the life sciences and energy. I enjoy active collaborations with experimentalists, computational scientists and theoretical physicists, and also invent new physical effects not yet met in experiment.
My early work at Northwestern with Stephen H. Davis revolved around the development of symmetry-breaking mechanisms for the stabilization of thin liquid films and contact line dynamics. Currently, in work supported by NSF (see for instance the Northwestern MRSEC) and highlighted by Northwestern Engineering News, I develop, with Monica Olvera de la Cruz, ionic theory and computation for replicating physiological processes, aiming to improve energy efficiency and computing speed of future iontronic devices. In parallel, with physics colleagues at Wisconsin and Washington (Alex Levchenko & Anton Andreev) we formulate an unconventional hydrodynamic framework of non-centrosymmetric conductors and other electron liquid phenomena, envisioned to cooperate with ionic transport.
Other future work will address the proliferation of malignant cells, by employing magnetism and magnetic materials, combining magnetic locomotion, tumor stress alleviation, imaging, and new concepts of heat transfer.
For more action and less talk, visit my research page or my publications page chronologically or by subject.
'Universal behaviour in boundary-driven electrokinetic flows' Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 1010: A50 (2025) A.Shrestha, E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz Cartoons
'Evanescent and inertial-like waves in rigidly-rotating odd viscous liquids' Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 996: A13 (2024) E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz Cartoons
'Taylor columns and inertial-like waves in a three-dimensional odd viscous liquid' Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 973: A30 , (2023) E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz
'Wave-crests around obstacles in odd viscous liquids ' E.Kirkinis & A. Levchenko arXiv:2511.07751
'Fluctuation-induced giant magnetoresistance in charge-neutral graphene' A. Levchenko, E. Kirkinis & A. V. Andreev arXiv:2512.09988
'Electromotive entrainment of charge and heat currents in graphene' E.Kirkinis, A. Levchenko & A. V. Andreev arXiv:2602.20251
'Memory retention in ionic boundary-driven electrokinetic systems'. A. Shrestha, E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz
'Ionic vortex transport in boundary-driven electrokinetic systems ' A. Shrestha, E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz
'Charging dynamics-induced transverse electrokinetic flows ' A. Shrestha, E.Kirkinis & M. Olvera de la Cruz
Highlighted by Northwestern Engineering News: How Electrolytes Could Fuel Computing, Not Just Athletes. New ion-driven flows in simple channels could boost energy efficiency and memory in flexible iontronic devices. June 5, 2025 article by Brian Sandalow
Highlighted by Northwestern Engineering News: New Fluid-Dynamic Slip Law Subsumes 40 Years of Research Findings could lead to improved manufacturing, medical processes Jun 10, 2013 Article by Sarah Ostman
Experiment with low frequency rotating magnetic field on a hydrophobic slide; contact lines overcome contact angle hysteresis and become unpinned leading to migration. 'Wobbling and Migrating Ferrofluid Droplets', Communications Physics 7, 385 (2024) Videos
Simulation; Finite element simulations demonstrating the migration of a 2D droplet due to the wobbling motion of the liquid-gas interface. The magnetic field is rotating clockwise at 10 Hz.
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA, Research Associate Materials Science & Engineering, Contractor for the Center for Computation & Theory of Soft Materials (working with Monica Olvera de la Cruz)
Imperial College London, London UK, Research Associate in Complex and Multiscale Systems
University of Washington, Seattle WA USA, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Condensed Matter Physics (working with Anton V. Andreev and Boris Z. Spivak)
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA, Golovin Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics (working with Stephen H. Davis)
Career break 2016-2021
Michigan State University, East Lansing MI USA, Mechanical Engineering (Visiting Thomas J. Pence)
Northwestern University, Applied Mathematics & Engineering Sciences, Evanston IL USA, (Visiting Stephen H. Davis)
University of Washington, Physics, Seattle WA USA, (Visiting Anton V. Andreev and Boris Z. Spivak)
Ph.D (Dec 16, 2011): Applied Mathematics University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA . Thesis description. Advisor. Robert E. O'Malley, Jr. (also working with Anton V. Andreev and Boris Z. Spivak on hydrodynamics and condensed matter field theory).
Part III Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics University of Cambridge, Cambridge UK
Computational model; Droplet migrates in an opposite sense to the orientation of the magnetic field (rotating clockwise)
Experimental method; Migration of the droplet was induced using an external magnetic field of 100 G rotating at 10 Hz.
Experiment: droplet can be induced to travel up or down inclined planes, clean surface impurities, harvest materials, and transport matter to desired locations. Place a small cube of a soft PEGMEA-based hydrogel (cargo) near the droplet at the bottom of a curved Teflon substrate. Droplet climbs uphill with a magnetic field of 125 G rotating counterclockwise at 10 Hz until the droplet overruns the cargo. It picks up and carries the cargo along with it. We then flip the direction of the field rotation to clockwise causing the droplet and cargo to move downhill
Center for Computation & Theory of Soft Materials McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science, Northwestern University Technological Institute 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 USA lastname@northwestern.edu
Throttle-induced stability of roller motion in anisotropic environments
Header Image: Chicago skyline taken from Promontory Point, Lakefront Trail, Chicago, IL 60615, United States of America. Photograph by Eleftherios Kirkinis.