Group members

Linda S. Hirst

Professor Linda S. Hirst received her Ph. D. in Experimental Physics, in December 2001, from the University of Manchester in the UK, where she studied liquid crystal materials. She spent three and a half years as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, working on biomolecular self-assembly. After serving for three years as a faculty member in the Physics Dept at Florida State University, she joined the faculty at UC Merced in 2008.

Hirst's research interests focus on soft condensed matter physics, with interests in both biophysics and liquid crystal materials. In general, her research group uses experimental techniques to characterize molecular assemblies and to understand the physics behind why they form. Placing the work in a wider context, the group tries to uncover the common principles of how self-organization at a molecular level can transfer physical properties across length scales to define complex structures in real biological systems and soft phases.

The group uses a wide variety of experimental techniques, although there is significant focus on x-ray diffraction and scattering (both synchrotron and in-house), microscopy/imaging (Confocal microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)). Current research projects include:

• The influence of cholesterol and polyunsaturated lipids on cell membrane structure.
• Controlling Lipid phase behavior and raft formation for "soft microfluidics"
• Biopolymer Networks
• Bent-Core and novel ferroelectric liquid crystal materials.

In addition to her research interests Hirst is also the creator of softmatterworld.org a new educational/networking web-site for the soft matter community around the world.

Graduate Students

Jennifer Kirchhoff

Jennifer is currently studying liquid crystal materials, focusing on the chiral tilted smectic phases. She is researching the structural details and mechanics of these phases and looking at them as a function of temperature. She completed her bachelors in both physics and mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University in May of 2005. Her personal interests include baseball, rock climbing, and writing fiction.

Learn more about Jennifer's research here

Lam Nguyen

Lam is studying the self-assembly process of biological polymers into different structures using experimental imaging techniques such as TEM and fluorescence microscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Lam did his bachelor’s degree in physics at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam. His hobbies are watching TV and movies, reading newspapers, listening to music and playing sports, especially soccer and badminton.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr. Longyi Jin

Dr. Jin is researching the non- or chiral liquid crystal materials, focusing on the low electric-field-induced switching in the B1 bent-core liquid. The study is mainly based on polarized microscopy, electro-optical studies, differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray Scattering. He obtained his Ph. D degree in polymer chemistry from Inha University, Korea in 2002, and did postdoctoral work concerning supramolecular organization based on organic rod building blocks with Prof. M. Lee at Yonsei University, Korea till 2005. He enjoys watching TV and playing sports, especially soccer.

Staff

Chai Lor

Chai is studying phase separation phenomena in lipid vesicles (GUVs) and supported lipid bilayers using fluorescence microscopy and atomic force microscopy. He is also interested in the structure and function of the Ryanodine receptor, a calcium channel in the heart.

Undergraduate Students

Matthew Fraser

Matthew is studying the formation of lipid vesicles (GUVs) and the structure and function of the Ryanodine receptor, a calcium channel in the heart.

Adam Ossowski

Adam is the softmatterworld.org research assistant responsible for website content, the newsletter and group networking. He also works on a research project looking at crumpling phenomena in giant vesicles.

Former Group Members

Mark Kerfoot

Project: phase behavior in lipid membranes, using AFM and fluorescence microscopy imaging techniques.

Continuing his PhD at UC Merced with Dr. Michael Scheibner.

Alex Kiss - Undergraduate Researcher

Project: Polyunsaturated Lipid self-assembly

Now attending graduate school in Enviromental Science, University of San Francisco

David Larson

Project: Phase separation in lipid tubules.

Yohanes Pramudya - Graduate Student

Project: Self assembly of biological lipids with cholesterol, model membrane structure.

Now working with Prof. Vladimir Dobrosavljevic at the National High Magnetic field laboratory at Florida State Unviersity

Tyler Thomas - Undergraduate Researcher

Project: Liquid crystal device development. Plans to attend graduate school Fall 2009

Michael Uhler - Undergraduate Researcher

Project: Lipid raft formation in model membranes

Michael is working towards a degree in physics at Florida State University.

Dr. Jing Yuan

Jing’s research focuses on phase separation in both supported bilayers and giant unilamellar vesicle systems, regarding the existence of raft-type domains in biological membranes and their role in numerous cellular processes. In her work a series of phospholipids and sphingolipids, as well as cholesterol, will be involved to mimic the raft-contained membrane structure, which can be visualized by CLSM and AFM. Jing received her Ph. D degree in 2004 from the Institute of Chemistry, CAS, China, studying molecular assembly at the air/water interface. She joined this group in Oct. 2006 after she finished her first postdoctoral research with Dr. Thomas Fischer at FSU. She enjoys pop music, movies, and playing badminton.