(Edmond) Tingtao Zhou

The wonders of biology have long inspired science and engineering and spurred the birth of a relatively new field—Active Matter. Broadly speaking, many biological and artificial systems—across living organisms and technologies such as batteries and medical devices— operate far from equilibrium, demanding new frameworks in nonequilibrium statistical physics. Moreover, their constituents often interact through the environment, for instance via hydrodynamic interactions among cells, bacteria, or colloids in a suspension. These interactions are long-ranged (extending to mm v.s. typically nm for colloidal forces), many-body, and bizzarly nonreciprocal.

Fascinated by these challenging problems, I work at the intersection of active matter, non-equilibrium statistical physics and fluid mechanics. With my recent development of Active Fast Stokesian Dynamics, there is a unique opportunity to explore many important questions that used to be intractable. A parallel mission of my work is to bridge theory with applications, especially in energy, materials, and medicine. This philosophy for research is captured by a recent Caltech News feature:

’‘Our journey from theory to simulation, experiment, and, finally, to real-time monitoring within these microfluidic landscapes is a compelling demonstration of how theoretical concepts can be brought to life, offering tangible solutions to real-world challenges.’’