Principal Investigator

Krystyn J. Van Vliet

Paul M. Cook Career Development Associate Professor Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Department of Biological Engineering

krystyn at mit dot edu
Ph: 617.253.3315 (e-mail preferred)
Office: 8-237

Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering (MIT, 2002)
Sc.B., Materials Science & Engineering (Brown University, 1998)

Graduate Students

	Aarthy Adityan MS Student, MechE Aarthy’s research aims to implement the finite element method to predict the macroscale mechanical properties of polymer gels which can be used as tissue surrogates to mimic the mechanical response and energy dissipation characteristics of biological tissues. Tissue surrogate polymers could serve as better test materials to study the effects of ballistics on soft tissues, and to devise better armor for protecting soldiers against impact forces. In her free time, Aarthy enjoys listening to music, reading and photography.			Irene Chou Chen PhD Candidate, ChemE Co-advised by Prof. Paula Hammond, ChemE Irene’s research focuses on the synthesis and advancement of a unique class of stimuli-responsive polymer gels that are capable of undergoing the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) self-oscillating reaction. Due to the cyclic nature of the BZ reaction, the gels exhibit periodic changes in gel size and color. Irene creates sensor applications by developing novel methods for eliciting responsive behavior in these materials. In her spare time, she enjoys running, snowboarding, and photography.
	William Herbert PhD Candidate, MatSci&Eng Co-advised by Prof. Bilge Yildiz, NSE Will looks at the relations between defect chemistry, structure and electronic properties of iron sulfide thin films. The focus is on the material’s behaviour in corrosion scales under highly aggressive oilfield conditions, but a fundamental understanding of sulfide films has implications for a wide range of applications, from electrochemical energy systems to thin-film photovoltaics. In his spare time, Will enjoys sailing, skiing and most types of sport involving a ball.			Deepak Jagannathan Graduate Student, MatSci&Eng Did you know that the cement industry is the third largest source of industrial CO2 emissions and cities of the future may not have amazing concrete based architectures and skylines because it is unsustainable? Don’t worry, Deepak and a group of awesome people at MIT are working on developing high performance concrete that is environmentally friendly, sustainable and has a wider range of applications. Deepak studies the interplay between mechanics and chemistry of concrete using a number of experimental characterization techniques. For more information on his work, click here. When he is not saving the world with science, Deepak listens to Lady Gaga, builds his tie collection or enjoys impressionist art of the late 19th century.
	Ilke Kalcioglu PhD Candidate, MatSci&Eng Ilke’s research is based on characterization of the multiscale mechanical properties of soft tissues, tissue surrogate materials, hydrogels, elastomers, and polymer nanocomposites under low and/or high loading rates. Using methods such as atomic force microscopy and instrumented indentation, she has been studying the structure-mechanical property relationship of soft tissues such as liver and heart in order to design tissue surrogate gels that could recapitulate soft tissue responses under extreme loading conditions. In her free time, she likes to sing in an unprofessional band.			Chia-Hua Lee PhD Candidate, MS&E Co-advised by Prof. Rohit Karnik, MechEng Chia-Hua’s is working on developing biomimetic techniques for adhesion-based separation of cells. Chia-Hua has engineered patterned substrate for controlling cell rolling trajectories. She is currently working on biopanning to identify specific peptides for cells separation. In her spare time, Chia-Hua enjoys jogging or running.
	Kwan Li Graduate Student, DMSE Kwan’s research is on the mechanisms and effects of microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) of metals such as low-carbon steel which is used in large quantities in industrial applications, most relevant of which being the oil and natural gas industry in which pipelines are constantly exposed to extreme chemical conditions conducive to the growth of highly corrosive microorganisms.			Ranjani K. Paradise PhD Candidate, Biological Eng Co-advised by Prof. Doug Lauffenburger, BE Ranjani’s research is focused on regulation of integrin activation and binding in the acidic extracellular pH conditions that are characteristic of the tumor and wound microenvironments. Using computational and experimental methods over length scales ranging from single atoms to whole cells, she has characterized the effect of acidic extracellular pH on the conformational changes involved in integrin activation, and has measured the consequences for cell adhesion and migration. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, eating, and reading about food.
	Remi Jolibois Quinot Graduate Student, MatSci&Eng Singapore-MIT Alliance in Research & Technology (BioSyM) Remi’s research focuses on the relations between mechanical, physical and chemical properties of human mesenchymal stem cells. In his spare time, Remi enjoys skiing, ice hockey, and wine tasting.			Jessica Swallow PhD Candidate, Materials Science and Engineering Jessica’s research focuses on the chemomechanics of transition-metal-oxides and rare-earth-metal-oxides for solid oxide fuel cells and lithium-ion batteries.  She uses specialized nanoindentation to investigate the causes of mechanical failure in these materials, with the aim of informing the design of mechanically stable, high performance oxides for energy applications.  In her spare time, she enjoys volleyball, drawing, and foosball.
	Adam Zeiger PhD Candidate, DMSE Adam is currently investigating molecular-scale chemomechanics at cell-cell and cell-matrix interfaces. He hopes his research will help narrow the gap between in vitro cell culture and in vivo physiology, especially in regards to how macromolecular crowding and cell-generated mechanical cues guide angiogenesis. Adam is a new father to an adorable little boy (and future scientist).

Postdoctoral Associates

	Partick Bonnaud Ph.D., Université d’Aix-Marseille Patirck’s PhD research mainly focused on the thermodynamics, the structure, and the dynamics of confined water adsorbed in slit mesopores ranging from amorphous silica systems to C-S-H systems. His current activities are focused on i) the pressure that is transmitted to the pore wall by confined water or electrolyte under various thermodynamics conditions (temperature, pressure) and ii) the interactions between C-S-H particles as a function of the distance between them.			Romain Grossier Ph.D., National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse Romain Grossier’s research focuses on nucleation process in solution. His research is now particularly focussed on cementitious materials and problematics within the scope of the MIT Concrete Sustainability Hub. His aim is to characterize through using different techniques (optical microscopy, AFM, TEM), especially confining droplets of solution he developed in his previous postdoctoral position, the physics of dissolution and nucleation behind the hydration process of cement.
	Roza Mahmoodian Ph.D., Drexel University Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics Roza’s research focuses on using multiscale finite element analysis to guide the design of tissue surrogate material systems for the study and prevention of ballistic impact injuries of the Soldier. In her free time, Roza enjoys skiing, running, kayaking, rock climbing, and any other type of sporting and outdoor activity.			Abdul Salam Thelakkadan Ph.D., Department of Naval and Electrical Engineering, University of Genova, Italy The research activity I am involved in is to study the impact initiated exothermic alloying reactions between Ni and Al nanoparticles in their nanocomposites with polymer. The high reaction enthalpies during the alloying reaction in these reactive nanocomposites upon impact are investigated for controlling energy release processes in military/ballistic applications.
	Matt Whitfield Ph.D., University of Washington, Department of Bioengineering Matt uses a variety of experimental and computational techniques to probe the multiscale mechanical characteristics of cells. A main focus is on untangling the heterogeneity within adult stem cell populations. In his spare time, Matt enjoys soccer, ultimate frisbee, backpacking, and basically everything outdoors.

Research Scientists

Anna Jagielska Ph.D., University of Warsaw, Department of Chemistry, Poland Anna is interested in understanding the interplay between in vivo chemomechanical environment and stem cell differentiation, with an ultimate goal of improving stem cell based therapies. She is currently focused on the role of mechanical factors in neural stem cell differentiation in the context of myelin repair in neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Anna’s past research fields include quantum mechanics (PhD) and computational biology and biophysics (postdoctoral).

John Maloney PhD, Materials Science & Engineering, MIT (Van Vliet Group) I study the chemomechanical coupling in and around attached and suspended tissue cells, most recently the intrinsic mechanical heterogeneity of cell populations. (PhD thesis, 7MB.) (Personal website.)

Staff

Alumni/ae