Vivek Sharma’s Soft Matter ODES-lab
Optics, Dynamics, Elasticity, & Self-Assembly (ODES)
We elucidate the influence of size, shape, dynamics, & interactions of dispersed phases (polymers, micelles, particles, proteins, drops, & bubbles) on the stability, rheology, fizzics, processability, and applications of complex fluids, motivated by curiosities and challenges from industry and academia, especially for engineering plant-based foods and sustainable formulations.
Fundamental quests: polymer physics, interface science, fluid mechanics, and scaling theory.
Expertise and Interests: Fizzics, Optics, Rheology and Mechanics (FORM) of complex fluids and soft materials, including Polymers, Foams, Surfactants, Emulsions, Liquid Crystals, Proteins, Polyelectrolytes, Colloidal Sols, and Printable Inks.
Seven Ph.D. students, a few M.S. students, and many enthusiastic U.G.s.
Alumni include eight Ph. D.s, a dozen M.S. students, and over a hundred & thirty-five U.G. students.
60. “Modeling drop deformations and rheology of dilute to dense emulsions”, R. B. Reboucas, N. N. Nikolova, and V. Sharma, Curr. Op. Colloid Interface Sci, (2025)
*ODES: definitions (selected):
Etymology.com: Words like cathode, anode, electrode, diode, method & period contain Greek ‘hodos’ (-ode) meaning way or path.
Wolfram page: Ordinary Differential Equation, an equality involving a function and its derivative. N.B: Our group loves PDEs just as well.
Poets.org says: “Ode” comes from the Greek aeidein, meaning to sing or chant, and belongs to the long and varied tradition of lyric poetry.