Soft Matter

The Soft Matter Group in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech is at the interface between colloidal physics, nano-science, granular materials, and hydrodynamics. We combine experiments at different length scales and theory to explore a range of scientifically and technologically relevant topics such as the intimate mechanisms of the dynamics of fluid interfaces from the macroscopic down to the molecular level, the physics of liquid crystal materials in curved spaces, soft particles in complex fuilds, and self-assembly under confinement. The Soft Matter Group at Georgia Tech has a strong focus in basic science, which is constantly coupled with technological challenges including the development of new instrumentation and new nano- and micro-fabrication methods.

Faculty Members

Jennifer Curtis

Jennifer Curtis

Professor

Research Interests: Cell biophysics. Cell mechanics of adhesion, migration and dynamics. Immunophysics and immunoengineering. Hyaluronan glycobiology. Hyaluronan synthase. Physics of tissues.

Daniel Goldman

Daniel Goldman

Dunn Family Professor

Research Interests: The biomechanics of locomotion of organisms and robots on and within complex materials. Physics of granular media.

Elisabetta Matsumoto

Elisabetta Matsumoto

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Soft Condensed Matter Physics; Geometry of Materials; Applied Mathematics; Materials Engineering; Nonlinear Elasticity

D. Zeb Rocklin

D. Zeb Rocklin

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Geometric-structural mechanics, topological and origami mechanics, and interdisciplinary applications in biological and engineered systems

Simon Sponberg

Simon Sponberg

Dunn Family Associate Professor of Physics and Biological Sciences

Research Interests: Neuromechancis, Locomotor Control, Multiscale Physics of Muscle, Maneuverability, Computational Neuroscience

Peter Yunker

Peter Yunker

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Nonequilibrium systems, densely packed active matter with life and death events, microbial physics, structural mechanics, fracture mechanics, evolution.

Sven Behrens

Sven Behrens

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Soft condensed matter, especially interfacial phenomena in colloidal suspensions, emulsions, and foams.

Itamar Kolvin

Itamar Kolvin

Associate Professor

Research Interests: Soft condensed matter out-of-equilibrium: active matter, hydrodynamics, elasticity and fracture.