Â鶹´å

Emerson Uhlig (he/him)

College of Engineering

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Hometown: chicago, illinois

1. Briefly describe the work you're doing in your program at Â鶹´å.

   My research involves creating mathematical theories of transport phenomena; essentially, we want to understand how energy, momentum, and chemicals are transported ("flow") through "stuff," where the "stuff" is some soft, fluid-like material (known as "soft matter").
   
   I am specifically researching the instabilities that an oil, water, and surfactant system can undergo to produce an emulsion. This means that if you place oil next to water and add a surfactant (a chemical that lowers the oil/water surface tension, like soap) to the water, some unexpected things may happen as the surfactant diffuses from the water into the oil such as the formation of an emulsion (small oil droplets dispersed in the water, for example).
   
   Emulsions make up many consumer products, such as moisturizing creams, salad dressings, and pharmaceutical serums, to name a few. We want to understand the formation of these emulsions and develop a mathematical theory that allows us to predict precisely under what conditions this will happen. 

2. How did you develop an interest in this area? 

   I always really enjoyed physics and math, so I was naturally drawn to the topics of fluid mechanics and transport phenomena in my undergrad chemical engineering classes. The mathematical connections between the different subject areas in transport phenomena gave me a sense of universality of the subject, and I fell in love with it. I was elated to discover that this field is much more vast than I may have thought in undergrad – there are so many relevant problems with deeply interesting physics to think about. 

3. What are your academic and/or professional goals? 

   After obtaining my PhD, I would like to pursue a career in academia. I really enjoy research and teaching, and I would love to make a career out of these passions.

4. How do you spend your time beyond academic work?

   I have many interests and hobbies outside of academics: I love music and enjoy seeing live shows and playing in my band. I also love playing racquetball, going rock climbing, playing hockey, cooking, watching movies, and, of course, hanging out with my amazing friends.