Meet the team

Emilie Dressaire received her undergraduate degree in Physics and Chemical Engineering from ESPCI (France) and her master degree in Biophysics from the University of Paris. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University in 2009. During her graduate studies, she worked on shaping fluid-fluid interfaces through capillary, elastic, and gravitational effects. She went on to become a postdoctoral research fellow at McGill University (Canada). After being a faculty member at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and a Research Scientist at CNRS (France), she joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at UCSB.

Sean received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His undergraduate fluid dynamics course and summer research inspired him to pursue a graduate degree. At UCSB, Sean is researching flow through arrays of flexible hairs. In his free time, he enjoys climbing and exploring Santa Barbara.

Katy is a graduate student in the Materials Department and specializes in developing soft composite materials and studying their transport mechanisms. Her past research experiences explored solid-state fabrication for battery cathode materials and bulk manufacture of a superconducting thin film nickelate series, however, her work on fabricating novel porous heterogeneous catalysts led her to discover a passion for complex porous media. In her free time Katy enjoys fishing, hiking, and reading.

Ella is a graduate student in the Bioengineering Program and a T32 Quantitative Mechanobiology trainee. She received her bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering in 2023 from the University of Maryland, College Park. She currently works on engineering microgel and hydrogel based cell scaffolds and has been doing research with hydrogels since 2020. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, crocheting, and exploring California.

Trinh received his undergraduate degree in Physics and Mathematics at Clark University. His undergraduate research was in the forms and locomotion of inertial magnetoelastic swimmers in granular sediments. At UCSB, he studies capillary actions in gel-coated imbibition cells and tubes. Trinh was born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In his free time, He likes to take his camera around and take photos of nature and architecture. He also enjoys learning and cooking new dishes every weekend.

Ryan Abell is a master's student in mechanical engineering at UCSB, where he focuses on fluid mechanics problems related to filtration and erosion. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University, where he studied the droplet mechanics of non-Newtonian fluids. Outside of academia, Ryan is an avid runner who enjoys climbing and surfing.  

Thanvi is a fourth year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She is researching fracture mechanics, exploring the formation and behavior of precipitates within fractures. Thanvi is from the Bay Area and in her free time she enjoys drawing, painting, and drinking a warm cup of chai.

Layla is a fourth year undergraduate student pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. She is researching elastocapillary interactions in orb spider threads. She is interested in bio-inspired design and research in fluid mechanics. Layla is from Marlboro, New Jersey, right by the Jersey shore. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside, photography, and fashion design.

Josh is a 4th year undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student. He is researching how hair flexibility, geometry, and flow speed affect flow regimes to give insight into bio-inspired filter designs. He is interested in bioengineering, fluid mechanics, and thermodynamics. Josh is from Santa Rosa, California and enjoys hiking, volleyball, and playing piano in his free time.