Interfacial & transport Physics (IT Physics) Lab

Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Utah

We are a curiosity-driven research group investigating problems at the intersection of physics, biology, and engineering to address the most pressing technological gaps in energy, environment, biotechnology, and forensic sciences.

lab statement

In Interfacial and Transport Physics Lab, we focus on counter-intuitive transport phenomena that occur at the boundary of two different phases, such as solid and liquid or two different materials in both natural and artificial systems at small scales. The key component of IT Physics lab is applying cutting edge experimental techniques to study high dimensional systems where the outcome is impacted by a large number of independent parameters and traditional engineering and physical approaches cannot define the system or may result in unreliable outcomes due to excessive assumptions. To develop solutions that can overcome these limitations, we combine high-throughput experimental techniques and data processing strategies to find what known physical laws can be applied or what new physical laws need to be discovered to fully define the system.

Research Positions Available

Positions are currently available for graduate and undergraduate students interested in working in the lab. Please contact Dr. Shiri directly: samira.shiri@utah.edu.

spotlights

 Congratulation to Yang Yang for receiving UROP funding for spring 2024

 Congratulation to Naumi Chowdhury for presenting her work successfully at APS DFD conference on November 2023

The IT Physics Lab – Up and Running, Welcoming Innovation and Collaboration