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
Professor
Research Interests: Cell biophysics. Cell mechanics of adhesion, migration and dynamics. Immunophysics and immunoengineering. Hyaluronan glycobiology. Hyaluronan synthase. Physics of tissues.
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
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Soft Condensed Matter Physics; Geometry of Materials; Applied Mathematics; Materials Engineering; Nonlinear Elasticity
D. Zeb Rocklin
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Geometric-structural mechanics, topological and origami mechanics, and interdisciplinary applications in biological and engineered systems
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
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Nonequilibrium systems, densely packed active matter with life and death events, microbial physics, structural mechanics, fracture mechanics, evolution.
Sven Behrens
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Soft condensed matter, especially interfacial phenomena in colloidal suspensions, emulsions, and foams.
Itamar Kolvin
Associate Professor
Research Interests: Soft condensed matter out-of-equilibrium: active matter, hydrodynamics, elasticity and fracture.
