My research is focused in the following three areas: the fluid dynamics of particles floating at two-fluid interfaces, the direct numerical simulations of multiphase fluids, and the fluid dynamics at micro and nano scales. My goal within the broad area of multiphase fluid mechanics is to develop novel theoretical (numerical) and experimental methods for exploring interesting features of dynamics, from both applied and fundamental points of views. We use these methods to study microscale dynamics in multiphase materials, as well as to understand the role of microscale dynamics in determining the macro (continuum) scale properties of these materials, including when they are subjected to electric fields. One of the approaches used is the direct numerical simulation (DNS) approach in which the fundamental governing equations are solved simultaneously for the fluid and the discontinuous phases without the use of models.
One of the focuses of our present work is the efficient transport and capture of particles suspended in liquids in microfluidic devices which in recent years have been used in many applications, including biological applications. We are interested in manipulating both rigid and deformable particles (e.g., biological cells, drops, bubbles, etc.) by externally imposed flows and electric fields.