(7w) Self-Organization in Soft, Active Materials

Soft and active materials self-organize from macromolecules to form complex structures such as biological cells. Each structure within the cell has distinct properties and function derived from interactions of the constitutive macromolecules. Despite advances in biochemistry that continue to reveal specific interactions, how biomolecular assemblies and soft materials can be regulated and self-organized remain exciting frontiers. In cells, many assemblies, such as cytoskeletal structures, are formed from filaments, which have inherent anisotropy. Others, such as molecular motors, structure the assemblies through enzymatic activity. Building from soft materials, colloid and polymer science, I plan to develop an interdisciplinary and collaborative research program that focuses on experimentally elucidating the physical mechanisms of self-organization in active biological materials. Additionally, I plan to engineer novel colloidal and polymeric materials inspired by the rich set of self-organization strategies gleaned from biological materials.

My postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago focuses on structure formation in active biopolymer materials that derive from the protein filaments and molecular motors which form the dynamic structure that drives cellular deformations. I am particularly interested in intriguing liquid condensed phases of biopolymer filaments that we recently demonstrated with cross-linked actin filaments. I am interested in elucidating the role of anisotropy and activity in structuring these complex filamentous fluids. As a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, my research focused on deformations in biologically inspired membranes. I investigated supported phospholipid bilayer formation through vesicle adsorption and stress-induced transitions from planar to tubular bilayer. Additionally, I was part of an interdisciplinary team that engineered phospholipid vesicles to target specific viruses with aim of developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Teaching Interests:

I value inquiry-based interactive teaching with a focus on training interdisciplinary, independent scholars. With a Ph.D in Biomolecular Science and Engineering, an interdepartmental program, and undergraduate background in Physics, I have a diverse training from physical and biological perspectives. I look forward to applying my background to teach core courses and am excited to develop courses at intersection of physical sciences, biological sciences, and engineering. I am particularly interested in teaching experimental courses, especially those that emphasize introducing undergraduates to research. As a graduate student, I emphasized inquiry as teaching assistant in Physics and Biology courses at both upper and lower division levels. Throughout my graduate and postdoctoral research, I have enjoyed mentoring several undergraduate and graduate students in interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects.