In soft materials such as micron-sized colloids in suspension, the importance of thermal fluctuations and Brownian motion allows an efficient sampling of configuration space, giving rise to a rich diversity of equilibrium self-assembled structures with varying degrees of order.

In our research group, we wish to expand our understanding of collective processes to dynamical regimes where time-dependent energy injection and long-ranged hydrodynamic interactions compete with microscopic interactions and give rise to complex, emergent dynamical structures.

The long-term goal of our program is to make soft materials that, like biological organisms, consume energy, live out of equilibrium, and exhibit hierarchical, multi-level function.

in St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador

St. John’s is on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland, in the north-west Atlantic ocean.

Our work takes place on the land of the Beothuk. Situated in Newfoundland & Labrador, we acknowledge the cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu and Inuit.