Principal Investigator Lydia Bourouiba
Flows driven by surface tension are both ubiquitous and diverse. They play a key role in the transmission of diseases in plants, animals, and humans via droplet formation and bubble bursts. The fundamental physical principles underlying such flows provide a unifying framework to interpret the adaptations of the microorganisms, animals, and plants that rely upon them. Our group's research focuses on a range of problems where droplets, bubbles, interfacial flows, and pathogen-fluid interactions can shape disease transmission and environment contamination (e.g. hospitals). Our approach is to combine direct observations, experiments, and mathematical modeling to describe pathogen transmission from host to host.