Yale Soft Matter

Soft Matter & Complex Fluids
Yale University

Yale has a dynamic and growing community of scientists and engineers working in the field of soft matter. Faculty researching soft matter have appointments in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Physics and Geology & Geophysics. We investigate a wide range of fundamental and applied problems ranging from basic questions in statistical mechanics to pressing issues in environmental engineering. We collaborate extensively across departments through ongoing research, seminars, regular "metagroup" meetings, and a growing number of shared facilities.

Participating Faculty

Jerzy Blawzdziewicz
Theory and numerical simulations for microstructural evolution and macroscopic transport phenomena in complex fluids such as colloidal suspensions, emulsions, foams, and polymeric solutions.

Eric Dufresne
Physics and engineering of soft materials, including colloidal and biological systems.

Menachem Elimelich
Physical and chemical processes in environmental engineering; transport of microbial pathogens in subsurface environments; interaction of biocolloids with surfaces; dynamics of colloidal processes in aquatic systems; membrane separations in aquatic systems.

Michael Loewenberg
Dynamics of complex fluids: Emulsion and foam flows, interfacial flows and surfactant effects, drop breakup and coalescence, blood flow and transport in the microcirculation. Director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemical Engineering.

Simon G. J. Mochrie
Experimental studies of the phase behavior and phase transitions of soft matter, surfaces and biomaterials, using high-resolution x-ray scattering methods.

Chinedum Osuji
Polymer Physics, Biomimetic Systems and Soft Materials Science

O'Hern Corey S. O'Hern
Statistical mechanics of nonequilibrium systems such as glasses and granular materials; elasticity theories for soft materials, e.g. liquid crystals and biological materials.

T. Kyle Vanderlick
Studies of interacting surfaces as probed using direct force measurements; lipid membranes and their interactions with membrane active agents (e.g., surfactants and antimicrobial peptides).

Paul Van Tassel
Interfacial behavior of biomacromolecules, biomaterial interactions with proteins and cells, materials containing biomolecular/biomimetic structure, bioseparations, biosensing, adsorption in templated porous materials, templated molecular recognition, optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, molecular computer simulation, statistical mechanics.

John S. Wettlaufer
Theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics and its applications to geophysical problems.