INTERACT

Venkata Subba Rao Jampani graduated in Engineering Physics from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India in 2009 and obtained his PhD in Physics from University of Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2013. Afterwards, he worked as a postdoc at Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization Göttingen, Germany and Physicochemical soft matter research team, CEMS, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Japan. His research focuses on topological defects in liquid crystal elastomeric shells and their applications, and liquid crystal shells, droplets and their self-assembly.

Rao works mainly on liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) shells and their applications in soft-robotics using microfluidics platform. He also works on studying optical and topological defects in shells in order to exploit them as a novel components for next generation LC science. He is working on the ERC funded project "INTERACT".

Tel: 6349. Click here to send him an e-mail.

Jan leads the Experimental Soft Matter Physics (ESMP) group. Click here or on the photo for his personal page.

Tel: 6219. Click here to send him an e-mail.

Catherine uses electrospinning to produce responsive fibers functionalized with liquid crystals in the core, with the ultimate aim to use them in autonomous wearable technology devices. She is working on the ERC-funded project INTERACT.

Tel: 6784. Click here to send her an e-mail.

Anshul Sharma earned her bachelor’s degree in science from Government P.G. College Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India, and her master’s degree in chemistry from the National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, India. She then worked as a project associate at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, for a period of 18 months. In 2010 she joined Dr. Torsten Hegmann’s lab as a Ph.D. student at University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. When he moved to Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Ohio, USA, Anshul also decided to move to Kent State to continue working with him and Dr. Elda Hegmann and earned her Ph. D. in Chemical Physics in December 2015. Her Ph.D. work was focused on new types of liquid crystal (LC) host-guest systems developed for new applications in soft matter and as well as for nano- and bio- material applications.
She joined the ESMP group as a post-doctoral researcher in ERC funded project ‘INTERACT’ in January 2016. Her focus is on identifying suitable polymers, precursors, solvents and development of liquid crystal polymers precursors and liquid crystal elastomers for optimal usage in wearable technology and soft robotics by using microfluidics and electrospinning techniques.

Tel. 6480. Click here to send her an e-mail.

Vanessa is the group’s secretary.

Tel: 6891. Click here to send her an e-mail.

Paula helps out managing the INTERACT project.

Tel: 5445.

Yong produces cholesteric liquid crystal shells using a microfluidic set-up, and studies the optical properties of densely packed systems of such shells. He is working on the UL-funded project UNIQUE.

Tel: 6893. Click here to send him an e-mail.

JungHyun works with microfluidics and other methods for creating liquid crystal droplets and shells and she studies their optical properties and topological defect arrangements in different phases. She is working on the FNR-funded project ULISCO.

Tel: 6710. Click here to send her an e-mail.

After doing his B.Sc. thesis (defended 19th of December 2014) in our group, working together with JungHyun on microfluidic production of liquid crystal shells and their characterization, Kevin came back to do his M.Sc. thesis as well. He is now working with Rao on making liquid crystal elastomer shells with well-defined director fields, and investigating their mechanical actuation properties.

Click here to send him an e-mail.