Research Overview >>
​
Research in our laboratory revolves around investigations of complex fluids and interfacial phenomena with the broad goal of establishing new principles for spatial and temporal control of soft materials.  We seek to provide fundamental knowledge that will enable the design of next-generation materials for monitoring of human exposure to chemical environments, precision medicine, food safety, energy-efficient separations processes and self-regulating autonomous micromachines.  We are, for example, (i) exploring the design of responsive liquid crystalline materials with a focus on their ordering at complex interfaces, (ii) unmasking new rules for molecular self-assembly based on hydrophobic interactions, and (iii) designing surfactants that incorporate molecular triggers (redox- and photo- active groups) to achieve active control of aqueous systems