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Physics of fluids and active matter at interfaces
Welcome!
We are an interdisciplinary research group interested in understanding
active matter systems at interfaces.
The group focuses on investigating the fundamental physics behind intriguing phenomena observed in soft matter, such as polymer solutions, and
active matter, such as bacteria suspensions.
The following subjects are relevant to the problems we like to think about
low Reynolds number fluid mechanics • Physics of living systems • environmental science • rheology • colloid science • coral reef restoration • bioremediation
We are part of the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois.

We thank the Oil Spill Recovery Institute for funding
>>> Biodegradation and transport of oil droplets

We thank the National Science Foundation for funding
>>> Collaborative Research: ECO-CBET: From Molecules to Sustainable Reef Platforms: Engineering Ecosystems for Coral Recruitment and Survival
>>> Convergence: RAISE: Engineering Coral Reef Recovery

The group focuses on investigating the fundamental physics behind intriguing phenomena observed in soft matter, such as polymer solutions, and
active matter, such as bacteria suspensions.
The following subjects are relevant to the problems we like to think about
low Reynolds number fluid mechanics • Physics of living systems • environmental science • rheology • colloid science • coral reef restoration • bioremediation
We are part of the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois.

We thank the Oil Spill Recovery Institute for funding
>>> Biodegradation and transport of oil droplets

We thank the National Science Foundation for funding
>>> Collaborative Research: ECO-CBET: From Molecules to Sustainable Reef Platforms: Engineering Ecosystems for Coral Recruitment and Survival
>>> Convergence: RAISE: Engineering Coral Reef Recovery

Research
We are a highly interdisciplinary research team with interests
in the field of soft matter. Examples of soft matter include colloidal suspensions,
polymer solutions, foams, granular materials, and biological materials. These materials are "soft" in
the sense that they are deformed by thermal or mechanical stresses that are comparable to thermal
fluctuations at room temperature.
We implement the tools of microfluidics, microscopy, high-speed imaging, and quantitative image analysis to experimentally study problems that lie at the interface of low-Reynolds numbers fluid mechanics, biophysics, and environmental science.
Our approach spans orders of magnitude in length, from single molecules to single cells to the environment, and time. We use observations in controlled fluid environments in combination with quantitative image analysis to understand physical mechanisms and chemical processes that we use to build mathematical models and predictive frameworks.
See below for a sample of ongoing and open projects in the lab.
We implement the tools of microfluidics, microscopy, high-speed imaging, and quantitative image analysis to experimentally study problems that lie at the interface of low-Reynolds numbers fluid mechanics, biophysics, and environmental science.
Our approach spans orders of magnitude in length, from single molecules to single cells to the environment, and time. We use observations in controlled fluid environments in combination with quantitative image analysis to understand physical mechanisms and chemical processes that we use to build mathematical models and predictive frameworks.
See below for a sample of ongoing and open projects in the lab.
-
Oil degradation by marine bacteria
How do single bacteria rid the oceans of hydrocarbon pollution? -
Complex fluids and polymer physics
How do single molecules driven far-from-equilibrium affect material properties such as viscoelasticity? -
Oil degradation in porous media
How do physically and chemically heterogeneous microenvironments affect hydrocarbon degradation by bacteria? -
Cell growth at fluid interfaces
What is life like when trapped in two dimensions? -
Particle tracking and microrheology
How small of a sample is needed to determine its material properties? -
Microfluidics and imaging techniques
What new phenomena can we observe using the latest technologies?
Want to learn more?
We are always available and happy to discuss our research interests. Come visit the lab!
Meet The Team
''Més que un club''


Koumudhi Deshpande
Grad, ME PhD
Topic: Electro-inertial flows

Daniel Gysbers
Grad, Phys PhD
Topic: Larval settlement

Blake Langeslay
Grad, Phys PhD
Topic: Active nematics
Undergraduates
Alumni
Interested in joining?
We are always interested in recruiting creative and highly motivated
individuals (Postdoc, graduate, and undergraduate) looking to conduct high-impact research with us.
Prospective graduate students should follow the links for more information on the admission process. College of Engineering grad
programs
Mechanical Science and Engineering
grad application and FAQ
Students already admitted to the University of Illinois should contact the PI via email including your qualifications, project of interest, and CV.
Prospective graduate students should follow the links for more information on the admission process.
grad application and FAQ
Students already admitted to the University of Illinois should contact the PI via email including your qualifications, project of interest, and CV.
Journal articles
under review and published
- An in vitro living system for flow rectification
- Synchronous oscillatory electro-inertial focusing for microparticle manipulation
- Growth induced phase changes in bacteria colonies at liquid interfaces
- Surface topography drives marine larval transport and settlement through boundary layer flow interactions
Z. Dou, H. Liu, Z. Li, F. K. Chan, Y. Bhosale, O. Aydin, G. Juarez, M. T. A. Saif, L. P. Chamorro, M. Gazzola
under review (2023)

G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
under review (2023)

B. Langeslay and G. Juarez
under review (2023)

D. J. Gysbers, M. A. Levenstein, and G. Juarez
in preparation (2023)

- Hydrodynamic Treadmill Reveals Reduced Rising Speeds of Oil Droplets Deformed by Marine Bacteria
- Microdomains and stress distributions in bacterial monolayers on curved substrates
- Understanding the aggregation and flow response of donor-acceptor conjugated polymers
- Tubulation and dispersion of oil by bacterial growth on droplets
- Millimeter-scale topography facilitates coral larval settlement in wave-driven oscillatory flow
- Multicurvature viscous streaming: flow topology and particle manipulation
- Effect of dispersants on bacterial colonization of oil droplets: a microfluidic approach
- Hyperactivation is Sufficient to Release Porcine Sperm from Immobilized Oviduct Glycans
- A tradeoff between physical encounters and consumption determines an optimal droplet size for degradation
- Composite Substrates Reveal Inorganic Material Cues for Coral Larval Settlement
- Assembly and characterization of an external driver for the generation of sub-kilohertz oscillatory flows in microchannels
- Inertial focusing in planar pulsatile flows
- Generation and application of sub-kilohertz oscillatory flows in microchannels
- Steady streaming flows in viscoelastic liquids
- Steady streaming viscometry of Newtonian liquids in microfluidic devices
- Modeling the impact of dilution on the microbial degradation time of dispersed oil in marine environments
- Designing engineering tasks for collaborative problem solving
- Regular and irregular splashing of drops on geometric targets
- 64th APS DFD Milton Van Dyke poster award winner
- Splash control of drop impacts with small geometric targets
- Featured in Physical Review E Kaleidoscope Images
- Mixing by cutting and shuffling 3D granular flow in spherical tumblers
- Extensional rheology of DNA suspensions in microfluidic devices
- Transition to centrifuging granular flow in rotating tumblers: a modified Froude number
- Motility of small nematodes in wet granular media
- Mixing by cutting and shuffling
- Granular coarsening: Phase space and evolution analogies
- Featured in Physical Review E Kaleidoscope Images
- Axial band scaling for bidisperse mixtures in granular tumblers
V. Hickl, H. H. Pamu, and G. Juarez
Environmental Science and Technology, 57, 37, 14082–14089 (2023)

B. Langeslay and G. Juarez
Soft Matter, 19, 3605-3613 (2023)

J. J. Kwok, G. Vishwanathan, K. S. Park, B. B. Patel, D. Zhao, G. Juarez, and Y. Diao
Macromolecules, 55, 10153-10166 (2022)

V. Hickl and G. Juarez
Soft Matter, 18, 7217-7228 (2022)

M. A. Levenstein, D. J. Gysbers, K. L. Marhaver, S. Kattom, Z. A. Quinlan, H. M. Tholen, L. Tichy, L. W. Kelley, M. A. Vermeij, A. J. Wagoner Johnson, and G. Juarez
PLoS ONE, 17, e0274088 (2022)

Y. Bhosale, G. Vishwanathan, G. Upadhyay, T. Parthasarathy, G. Juarez, and M. Gazzola
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2120538119 (2022)

V. Hickl and G. Juarez
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 178, 113645 (2022)

M. Sharif, V. Hickl, G. Juarez, X. Di, K. Kerns, P. Sutovsky, N. Bovin, and D. J. Miller
Scientific Reports, 12, 6446 (2022)
V. I. Fernandez, R. Stocker, and G. Juarez
Scientific Reports, 12, 4734 (2022)
M. A. Levenstein, K. L. Marhaver, Z. A. Quinlan, H. M. Tholen, L. Tichy, J. Yus, I. Lightcap, L. W. Kelley, G. Juarez, M. J. A. Vermeij and A. J. Wagoner Johnson
ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 10, 12, 3960-3971 (2022)

G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
Journal of Visualized Experiments (179), e63294 (2022)
G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 921, R1 (2021)
G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
Microfluidics Nanofluidics, 24, 69 (2020)

G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
Journal of non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 271, 104143 (2019)

G. Vishwanathan and G. Juarez
Physics of Fluids, 31, 041701 (2019)

V. I. Fernandez, R. Stocker, and G. Juarez
Oilfield Microbiology, CRC Press, 215-232, (2019)

S. Shehab, E. Mercier, M. Kersh, G. Juarez, and H. Zhao
12th International Conference on Computer Supported Learning, 2, 825-826 (2017)
G. Juarez, T. Gastopoulos, Y. Zhang, M. L. Siegel, and P. E. Arratia
Physics of Fluids, 24, 091105 (2012)
G. Juarez, T. Gastopoulos, Y. Zhang, M. L. Siegel, and P. E. Arratia
Physical Review E, 85, 026319 (2012)

G. Juarez, I. C. Christov, J. M. Ottino, and R. M. Lueptow
Chemical Engineering Science, 73, 195-207 (2012)
G. Juarez and P. E. Arratia
Soft Matter, 7, 9444 (2011)
G. Juarez, P. Chen, and R. M. Lueptow
New Journal of Physics, 13, 053055 (2011)
G. Juarez, K. Lu, J. Sznitman, and P. E. Arratia
Europhysics Letters, 92, 44002 (2010)

G. Juarez, R. M. Lueptow, J. M. Ottino, R. Sturman, and S. Wiggins
Europhysics Letters, 91, 20003 (2010)
G. Juarez, R. M. Lueptow, and J. M. Ottino
Physical Review E, 81, 012301 (2010)
G. Juarez, J. M. Ottino, and R. M. Lueptow
Physical Review E, 78, 031306 (2008)
Image and video gallery
-
Terraforming microscopic planets
Blake Langeslay and Gabriel Juarez
APS Gallery of soft matter physics poster (2023) - Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels
Giridar Vishwanathan and Gabriel Juarez
Journal of Visualized Experiments (2022) - The Soap Opera
Giridar Vishwanathan and Gabriel Juarez
APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion poster (2020) - Rough Night
Daniel Gysbers, Mark Levenstein, Amy Wagoner Johnson, and Gabriel Juarez
APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion poster (2020) - Smile, you're on high-speed camera
Giridar Vishwanathan
UIUC Graduate Image of Research competition, 3rd place winner (2019) - Mysteries of the Ocean
MIT/ETH Zurich Environmental Microfluidics lab
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation video highlight (2015) - The complexity of fluids
University of Pennsylvania Complex Fluids lab
American Society of Mechanical Engineers video highlight (2013) - C. elegans in complex media
X. N. Shen, G. Juarez, and P. E. Arratia
64th APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion video (2011) - Splash control using geometric targets
G. Juarez, Y. Zhang, T. Gastopoulos, and P. E. Arratia
63rd APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion video (2010)