Current Members

Group Images from Recent Parties

Amy Shen

Position:

Assistant Professor

Education:

Ph.D., Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000

Post Doc. Fellow, Harvard University, 2000-2002

Personal:

aqshen-AT-me.wustl.edu

(314)-935-7659

My research program concerns complex fluids and the processing of these fascinating materials to create morphologies and structures that can find application in the nanotechnology, biotechnology microelectronics, and energy related materials. Whether they are liquid crystals, polymeric liquids, surfactants and vesicles, or suspensions, this important class of soft materials is characterized by intermolecular/particle forces that give rise to time and length scale distributions that are easily accessed by processing flows. Consequently, external processing forces can create a host of nano-morphologies and bulk properties that are central to their end-use applications.

Post Doctoral Fellows:

Oleg E. Chkliaev

Hometown:

Russia

Education:

Ph.D., Mechanics of Fluid, Gas and Plasma, Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, Russia, 1999

Personal:

oleg-AT-me.wustl.edu

(314)-935-6095

Interfacial dynamics, phase transitions, and self-assembly of complex fluids.

PhD Students:

Chang Lee

Education:

B.A.; Chemistry and Mathematics; St. Olaf College; 2000

B.S.; Chemical Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; 2002

M.S; Material Science; Washington University In St. Louis; 2003

Personal:

snova22-AT-hotmail.com

(314)-935-6095

Mesoporous film synthesis, electro-spinning, and nano waveguides.

Xuemie Chen

Hometown:

China

Education:

B.S., Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, China, 2004

Personal:

xuemeichen127-AT-gmail.com

(314)-935-6095

My primary advisor is Professor Eliot Fried. I have been involved with coating with surfactant solutions, turbulence, 2 phase instability, and liquid crystal droplet problem (with Shen's group).

Kelong Huang

Hometown:

Shanghai, China

Education:

B.S., Physics, Fudan University, China, 2005

Personal:

kelongh-AT-gmail.com

(314)-935-6095

Confinement effects on lipid tubule growth

Xialing Zhang

Hometown:

Fujian, China

Education:

B.S., Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, 2003

M.S., Mechanics and Engineering Science, Peking University, 2006

Personal:

zxl_pku-AT-hotmail.com

(314)-935-6095

Dynamics of granular chains and locomotion/biosensing of C. elegans.

Wanyu Chen

Hometown:

China

Education:

B.S., Chemical Engineering & Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, 2002

Ph.D., polymer chemistry and physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 2008

Personal:

??-AT-hotmail.com

(314)-935-6095

Ionically crosslinked polyampholyte gels. Gleation under confinement.

Undergraduate Research Assistants:

Lucy Li

Hometown:

Lincoln, Nebraska

Biomedical Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; B.S; 2010

Personal:

gll1-AT-cec.wustl.edu

Currently, I am working on a microfabrication project related to chemotaxis.

Nick Hansing

Hometown:

Woodstock, IL

Mechanical Engineering and Psychology (minor); Washington University In St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; B.S, 2010

Personal:

njh2-AT-cec.wustl.edu

Compressed Air Energy Storage is a technology that has the potential to make wind energy a feasible option for our future energy needs. It stores excess energy as pressurized air, which can be later released when demand is great. By utilizing this technology, wind energy output can be stabilized despite the unpredictability of the wind. I am looking into the feasibility of applying this technology to the Danforth Campus.

Rahul Bhinge

Hometown:

Mumbai, India

Education:

B.A; Physics; Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA; 2006

B.S; Mechanical Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; 2006

Personal:

rb7-AT-cec.wustl.edu

Currently, I am working on a Bio-Mimetic plant protein called a forisome that has applications as a smart material. The summer of 2006 was spent measuring forisome response to changes in environmental pH, designing a rudimentary forisome driven valve for use in micro-fluidic devices and developing a protocol for effective purification of protein samples.

Concurrently, I am performing several experiments on oil-polymer interaction and droplet formation within microfluidic devices.

Visiting Students:

Shilpa Naidu

Hometown:

India

Agricultural and Food Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, B.S.; 2008.

Personal:

shilpa.naidub-AT-gmail.com

I am working on lipid tubule growth for biotechnology applications. Languages known: English, Telugu, Hindi.

Matt Voss

Hometown:

St. Louis, MO

Mechanical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, B.S., 2009.

Personal:

matthew.voss-AT-case.edu

I am participating complex fluids REU program this summer. I am working on optofluidics development involving photonics.

Hilary Schwafel

Hometown:

Alaska

Biochemistry, Beloit College, Wisconsin, B.S., 2009.

Personal:

schwafel-AT-stu.beloit.edu

I am participating complex fluids REU program this summer (working with both Professors Fried and Shen). My project is related to the polymer chain conformations.

Amy Chivetta

Hometown:

St. Louis, MO

Junior, Visitation Acacdemy

Personal:

achivetta-AT-visitationacademy.org

I am participating STAR program this summer. I am working on osmotic effects on tubule growth.

Diana Zhu

Hometown:

St. Louis, MO

Junior, Parkway South

Personal:

dianazhu08-AT-gmail.com

I am participating STAR program this summer. I am making emulsion droplets by using microfluidic devices.

Recent Alumni:

Ben Steinhaus

Hometown:

Litchfield, Illinois

Education:

B.A; Physics; Illinois Wesleyan University, 1999

B.S; Mechanical Engineering; Washington Univerity In St. Louis; 2000

M.S; Mechnical Engineering; Washington Univeristy In St. Louis; 2001

PhD.; Mechnical Engineering; Washington Univeristy In St. Louis; 2006

Personal:

bcsteinhaus-AT-yahoo.com

After a year of postdoc experience at Madison, Ben just moved to Houston to work for GE.

Masters Students:

Steve Warman

Hometown:

Someplace, Somewhere

Education:

B.S.; Mechanical Engineering; University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; 2002

M.S.; Mechanical Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; 2006

Personal:

saw10-AT-cec.wustl.edu

(314)-935-6095

Forisomes are a newly discovered proteinaceous contractile element found in certain species of legumes. These protein bodies show promise as a biological smart material. Forisomes contract anisotropically in response to pH variation or the presence of calcium ions. Possible applications of forisomes include micro-valves, micro-actuators, and other smart sensing activities where one may currently see materials such as synthetic hydrogels or shape memory alloys in use. In order to pursue forisome applications and its synthesis as a smart material, a detailed understanding of its material properties is necessary. My research in this area entails the study of the mechanical properties and surface interactions of forisomes. Other areas of research interest include microfluidics and rheology of complex fluids.

Ben Hamlington

Hometown:

San. Antonio, Texas

Education:

B.S.; Aerospace Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; 2006

M.S.; Aerospace Engineering; Washington University In St. Louis; 2006

Personal:

bdh1-AT-cec.wustl.edu

(314)-935-6095

Liquid crystal drops dispersed in a continuous phase of silicone oil are generated with a narrow distribution in droplet size in micro-fluidic devices both above and below the nematic to isotropic transition temperature. With fixed shear viscosity at both phases and altering the micro-channel surface energy, we observe different liquid crystal droplet generation, coalescence dynamics, and distinct droplet morphology. Our experiments show that the nematic liquid crystalline order is important for the liquid crystal droplet formation. The use of micro-channels as a reproducible method of droplet formation and interactions was also demonstrated.

Elizabeth Henderson

Hometown:

St. Louis, MO

Education:

B.S./M.S., Washington University, 2005

Danhong Wang

Hometown:

Beijing, China

Education:

B.S., Tsinghua University, 1997

M.S., Tsinghua University, 2000

Ph.D., Clemson University, 2005

Personal:

ap_wang-AT-yahoo.com

(314)-935-6095