Driscoll Lab

At SoR? Come check out Carly's awesome talk this afternoon, "Shooting the sheet: High-speed imaging of instabilities in expanding Carbopol sheets as a novel method of probing material mesostructure". Session: Flow-Induced Instabilities and Non-Newtonian Fluids III, 5:05pm in Studio 2, Lobby Level

Physicists from every field connect at the APS Global Physics Summit ✨ Abstracts for #APSSummit27 are due today, by 5 p.m. ET. Don't miss this chance to share your research. https://go.aps.org/4roG0Zi

Hello all NSF GRFP Letter Writers - just a reminder they are due TODAY!!! #academia #academicsky #professors

One week left to submit your abstract to the APS Global Physics Summit in April 2027! Check out the Soft Matter categories in the graphic below or on the APS website: summit.aps.org/attend/abstr...

Submit your abstract to the mini-symposium “Hydroelasticity of Shape-Reconfigurable Materials” about advances in ultrasoft membranes, kiragami, patterned pores, and much more! 👉 Deadline: October 22, 2026 🔗 For abstract submission and general info: summit.aps.org

We are delighted to announce our upcoming mini-symposium, 🌀 "Stirring and Steering: New Ways to Manipulate Fluid-Mediated Forces". 👉 Abstract deadline: October 22, 2026 🔗 Submit your abstract and read more about the session here: summit.aps.org

Submit your abstract to the mini-symposium “Interfacial Transport and Pattern Formation in Complex Environments”, including topics as eletrokinetics, wetting, and interfacial instabilities. 👉 Deadline: October 22 🔗 Abstract submission/general info: summit.aps.org

We welcome abstract submissions to the mini-symposium “Soft Earth Geophysics” to explore challenges at the interface of soft matter physics and geoscience! 👉 Deadline: October 22, 2026 🔗 Abstract submission/general info: summit.aps.org

Join the mini-symposium “Instabilities in Soft Mechanics” to explore topics ranging from fundamental elastic instabilities to dynamic morphologies. 👉 Abstract deadline: October 22, 2026 🔗 Submit your abstract and read more about the session here: summit.aps.org

Submit your abstract to the mini-symposium “Adaptive and Programmable Soft Interfaces” which will include topics such as elastomers, liquid-infused surfaces, and responsive coatings! 👉 Abstract deadline: October 22 🔗 Abstract submission/general info: summit.aps.org

The mini-symposium "Active Assembly & Dynamics of Solid & Fluid Structures" explores how activity drives formation, reconfiguration, & dynamics of structures across synthetic & biological systems! 👉 Deadline October 22 🔗 Abstract submission/general info: summit.aps.org

Join the mini-symposium “Externally Driven and Active Granular Matter” in investigating active granular systems, both synthetic and biological. 👉 Abstract deadline: October 22, 2026 🔗 Submit your abstract and read more about the session here: summit.aps.org

Connect with your physics community. Explore cross-disciplinary research. Inspire others as a presenter at the world's largest physics conference. Abstracts for #APSSummit27 are due in just one month. Submit today: https://go.aps.org/4roG0Zi

Look forward for the short courses during the APS Global Physics Summit in April 2027! This Disordered Metamaterials short course will be organized by Charles Maher (NYU) and William Stephenson (UMich) on April 11. Sign up when registering for the summit on the APS website summit.aps.org !

Join our online panel on finding postdoc positions, preparing for interviews, identifying lab culture, applying for fellowships, and contacting mentors on October 14th. To register follow the QR code or link: apsphysics.zoom.us/webinar/regi... Panelists to be announced soon!

Join us on October 14th to learn about how to find a program/advisor, get good recommendation letters, and craft a compelling application for graduate school. To register follow the QR code or link: apsphysics.zoom.us/webinar/regi.... Panelists to be announced soon!

I was just reminded of this neat way to advertise your group's work. "Submissions of your recently published or ongoing work will be considered for highlights on DSOFT's Bluesky, TikTok, website, or blog platforms." docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Northwestern is hiring in quant methods (assistant level, tenure track) Please repost and share with those you think would be good candidates, thank you! polisci.northwestern.edu/about/facult... #psjobs #psjminfo #poliscijobs

Do you have a great idea for a short course/tutorial for the 2027 Global Physics Summit in Atlanta, GA?💡✍️ Submit your proposals via the link forms.aps.org/t/8rFj9Qw5Eaus or find the form under Meetings on the DSOFT website. Deadline August 2nd, 2026.

Science doesn't happen in isolation. A proposed federal rule could make it harder for researchers to collaborate and participate in the scientific community. Tell leaders what you think by submitting a public comment before July 13: https://go.aps.org/4vUO0ST

At ACS Colloids? Check out Shankhadeep's awesome talk about making sparkly paint, e.g. understanding how to use drop impact and drying to promote particle alignment. Today, Tuesday, at 15:40 -Technical Session VI: Colloidal & Surface Forces, Gore 102

Great work by the @apsphysics.bsky.social to distill the proposed OMB changes into one clear page: www.aps.org/initiatives/... Comments close July 13. Let's get in there.

New paper alert! pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a... Check out the latest work out of our collab with @carolineszcz.bsky.social highlighting how patterning hydrogels can enhance *both* toughness and strength. A lot of people contributed as the story built up over the years - so happy to see it out!

Last Thursday was NU's Undergrad Research Expo, a great event where undergrads from all over the university show off their projects. Driscoll lab undergrads Haley & Isabella both did an amazing job!

Make the DSOFT you want - call for mini-symposiums! (formerly known as focus sessions). These are a great opportunity to highlight emerging research topics, and a lot of fun to put together and chair. More info here: forms.fillout.com/t/tPQ31Xg1LZus

Nice highlight of our recent collaborative paper with the Cheng lab 😀

We have an open PhD position at @pcc-wur.bsky.social @w-u-r.bsky.social on Printing of Complex Fluids. Please follow the link below for further details and application procedure: www.wur.nl/en/vacancy/p...

Curious about wobbly drops? Check out Shankhadeep's work, "Breaking free: Nontrivial dynamics and complex depinning of ferrofluid droplets", MAR-S64, Thursday 10:36 (Bluebird 2H)

Always wondered about what happens when you squeeze a driven suspension into a tiny channel? Check out Akalanka's great talk, "Patterns in tight spaces: The role of confinement in driven matter", MAR-M70, Wednesday 2:24 (Bluebird 3F)

Are you a early career scientist looking to increase the crosslinking in your polymer? Join the SPLASHY Early Career Meet and Greet at 3 p.m. to network with other SPLASHY students, postdocs, and leadership - there’ll be snacks!👀 summit.aps.org/events/EVT-S04

Holey Sheet - you still haven't made your schedule! Not to worry, come learn about mesostructure in micro gels! Check our Carly Galvin's amazing talk, "Shooting the sheet: high-speed photography of complex fluid sheets reveals material mesostructure", MAR-C64, Monday 4:42 (Bluebird 2H)

Are you a jamming fan? Love shear-thickening fluids, but have questions about how they relax? Check out Charlie Burton's great talk "Jammin' out and Relaxin': Impact and Relaxation Dynamics in Shear-thickening Fluids", MAR-C64, Monday 3:30 (Bluebird 2H)

Making your schedule? Want to learn about evaporation-induced failure in soft gels? Check out Haley Shamah's awesome talk: "All Cracked Up: How Solvents Stress Out Hydrogels", MAR-C70 Monday 4:42 (Bluebird 3F)

Squishy Science Sunday is back at the Global Physics Summit! Join us for hands-on activities about physics, including the physics of slime, sand, and cotton candy! Find us at Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Use code APSSQUISHY26 for a discount on general admission tickets!

We are excited to present the finalists for this year's DSOFT Emerging Soft Matter Excellence Award! Join us in celebrating the work of these exceptional soft matter physics students, who will present their work in a special DSOFT Awards Session at the 2026 APS Global Physics Summit.

Excited to see this published! We show that multiple distinct liquid phases can be engineered within a single sample—and that, when densely packed, they behave collectively as a jammed multicomponent material that undergoes a coalescence-driven unjamming phase transition.

Job Opening: Full-Time Associate Editor, PRL We seek a dynamic and personable individual with postdoctoral experience in soft matter and statistical physics, to join our close-knit team of editors running the world’s leading physics journal. aps.applicantstack.com/x/detail/a27...

Are you an undergraduate student curious about the intersection of mathematics and biology? Receive mentorship from faculty experts and engage in innovative multidisciplinary research at NITMB’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program! Applications are due Monday, January 26th - www.nitmb.org/surp

I am looking to hire a postdoc to work with me on fluid-structure interactions in complex and active fluids. Ideally the candidate will have a strong background in numerical/asymptotic analysis and fluid mechanics (complex fluids / LCs even better). www.mathjobs.org/jobs/list/26...

Dive into complex materials with DSOFT! Learn how to use graphs and networks to describe complex materials, while gaining hands-on experience with new software tools. To register, select the tutorial when signing up for the @apsphysics.bsky.social Summit Meeting! 📅 Sunday, March the 15th, 2026

Best headline ever! Check out this cool new work out of the groups of my grad school classmate Scott and good friend Carl.

Applications for the Northwestern Sustainability and Energy Fellowships are now open through January 2026. Learn more at trienens-institute.northwestern.edu/research/ene... #ClimateTech #Sustainability #PostDocOpportunity

I am … grateful? … that Harvard’s Graduate School Fund reached out to me with a fundraising solicitation yesterday, because it helped me to organize my thoughts on an event near the end of my PhD (2005). Here is my response, just emailed to the fundraisers: (1/9)

New preprint! arxiv.org/abs/2511.00234 In collaboration with Ryker Fish & Brennan Sprinkle, Akalanka found patterning that emerges in strongly confined microroller suspensions. Surprisingly, the mechanism for the pattern formation is the recirculating flow created by (very) far away boundaries.

PSA: Ghostscript is magic and you should be using it! Using ps2pdf makes your file much smaller (say to fit grant rules), seemingly with no loss of quality. (I do not know how the magic works, but have been told it removes unnecessary Adobe overhead.) web.mit.edu/ghostscript/...

Curious about the latest advancements in soft matter physics by young researchers? Join our Students’ Virtual Conference, on November 6th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET! We have a great lineup of 20 speakers covering a wide range of topics. Register via the QR code or via tinyurl.com/DSOFTConfere...

We are happy to announce the DSOFT Students’ Virtual Conference, on November 6, 2025 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET! We have a great lineup of 20 speakers covering a diverse range of topics in soft matter physics. Register via the link or QR code to participate! tinyurl.com/DSOFTConfere...

The Society of Rheology meeting in Santa Fe has been amazing. Awesome talks and excellent sunsets!

There's still time to submit an abstract for the 2026 #APSGlobalPhysicsSummit @apsphysics.bsky.social. By Thurs, 10/23: summit.aps.org Trevor Jones and I invite submissions to the @apsdsoft.bsky.social focus session on Crafted Matter. Excited for invited talks from Lining Yao & @ttc.bsky.social !