Abstract: Directional motion is crucial for the survival of living systems. It enables cells to move towards food, away from toxins, coordinate collective behavior and transport cargo. In this talk, I aim to answer the overarching research question: how can we steer soft colloids and protocells directionally in a controlled manner? In doing so, I will examine and discuss the various potential mechanisms of
transport of colloids and discuss solute-phospholipid interactions-based chemotaxis as a potentially new and previously unrecognized mechanism of transport of biological colloids. Further, I will zoom into the phospholipid bilayer and show you the dynamic behavior of lipids on itself and its surrounding fluid upon enzyme catalysis. Finally, I will show you how one of the above-discussed transport mechanisms can be harnessed to transport particles into a bacterial biofilm as a starting point or potential method to manage and eradicate biofilms.
Bio:
Dr. Ambika Somasundar received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University, where she conducted research under the guidance of Prof. Ayusman Sen and Prof. Darrell Velegol, focusing on the transport and motility behavior of enzyme-lipid systems. She then pursued postdoctoral research as a fellow at the Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM), working with Prof. Howard A. Stone on colloidal particle penetration into bacterial biofilms. Following her postdoc, Dr. Somasundar joined BASF's advanced formulations team as a research scientist, where she led projects aimed at developing innovative processes for screening and detection in formulation research related to AgTech, skincare, and homecare applications. She later transitioned to academia, serving as a faculty member at Manhattan University. There, she developed and delivered lectures for graduate-level Biomaterials and undergraduate-level Materials Science courses.
Dr. Somasundar completed her undergraduate studies in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). During her time at NUS, she contributed to the development of microfluidic processes for the continuous production of drug-excipient spherical agglomerates and gained hands-on experience in a start-up environment, building processes and protocols from the ground up.