Prof.Madivala G. Basavaraj

Before joining IIT-Madras in February 2011, I spent 3 months as visiting fellow at KULeuven (Belgium) in Prof. Jan Vermant’s group. I was a postdoctoral researcher with Prof. Norman J. Wagner at the University of Delaware (USA). I studied chemical engineering at SIT, Tumkur (Bangalore University), and received my M.S (Research) from IISc, Bangalore, by working on - the determination of local dispersion coefficient and local holdup in a packed bed using X-rays. My PhD in chemical engineering is from KULeuven, Belgium (Prof. Jan Vermant). My PhD thesis was on - Tailoring colloidal gel rheology in bulk and at interfaces: Exploiting shape and surface chemistry effects. I am interested in understanding the structure-property correlation of complex fluids and fluid interfaces containing colloids, surfactants, polymers or their mixtures.
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Prof.Sumesh P Thampi

I am interested in understanding soft and living (or active) fluids. This categorisation of matter is relatively recent, but it offeres new and exciting physics that often leads to novel and unconventional engineering applications. Mesoscopic structuring - much larger than the atomic scale, but smaller than the overall material scale - and the ability to respond to thermal energy are the hallmarks of soft matter, e.g. colloids, liquid crystals and gels. If the constituents of soft matter are living particles such as cytoskeletal elements or bacteria, it is referred to as active soft matter. Driven systems such as catalytic colloids and vibrated granular rods also come under the category of active matter. Depending upon the physical and chemical nature of the constituents the underlying microstructure of these materials may lead to complex macroscopic behaviours. Thus, properties such as fluidity, elasticity, surface effects and activity, are all key factors governing their dynamics. Often, the length scale of interest is in the nm − mm range that can make surface effects as important as bulk ones. On a larger length scale, flight of birds and bird flocks are interesting. Philosophical questions and evolutionary aspects are innate to living systems but I am interested in the application of the principles of fluid dynamics to soft and biological matter with a focus in finding novelty of materials and designing micromachines for medical and industrial applications. Some pictorial results from my recent research are shown in the side bar.
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