Research Interests The research in my group has been aimed at understanding the dynamics of multiphase systems through a combination of theory and experiments. Free-surface flows associated with gas-liquid and liquid-liquid systems are the main focus of our research efforts. We are conducting theoretical (both analytical and computational) and experimental studies of interfacial tension-driven phenomena such as spontaneous capillary penetration and spreading, thermocapillary or Marangoni flows of interest in microgravity materials processing applications, and the dynamics of drops and bubbles in two-phase flow through capillaries. In particular, we are investigating the effects of surfactant impurities on the dynamic behavior of gas-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces in confined domains, wherein the interactions of the interface with solid boundaries, as well as the different mechanisms for surfactant transport, can lead to a rich variety of flow responses. Most recently, our efforts have centered on the development of computational techniques for modeling multiphase flows with free surfaces of general topology. Some problems of particular interest that are subjects of ongoing research in my group are listed below:  Effect of surfactants and polymeric additives on deformation and breakup of drops and bubbles moving through capillaries of constant and variable cross section. Effects of interfacial transport and rheology on the motion of drops and bubbles through Hele-Shaw cells Increasing polymer concentration Surfactant-assisted capillary penetration and spreading of liquids. Thermocapillary motion and interaction of drops and bubbles under microgravity conditions. Instability mechanisms of thermally-driven interfacial flows in liquid-encapsulated crystal growth.  Effect of surface-active impurities on thermally-driven interfacial flows. Computational modeling of pollutant transport in the conducting airways of the lung.

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