Drop Dynamics: Impacts, Levitation, and Microstructured Surfaces

How can we control droplets as they land on surfaces, roll over, or spread across surfaces? Understanding and management of droplet dynamics are of critical and increasing importance due to their relevance in areas such as climate physics, disease transmission, food production, and heat transfer technologies. Our team has interest and expertise in dynamic manipulation of droplets on microfabricated surfaces – see e.g. Broom and Willmott, “Water drop impacts on regular micropillar arrays: Asymmetric spreading”, Phys. Fluids 35, 077120 (2023). We are interested in hearing from talented students working in this area on an ongoing basis.

Students will be based in our Dynamic Microfluidics Laboratory, which features experimental equipment set up to study droplet dynamics e.g. high speed cameras, image analysis tools, acoustic levitation, and environmental control chambers. We have access to a microfabrication facility which allows us to design and fabricate prototype patterned surfaces. Projects typically include experimental work, strong quantitative analysis of results, and a further focus on either theoretical descriptions or technological developments. However, there is definitely scope for a student to define their own areas of interest, e.g. using exotic non-Newtonian liquids, droplet drying and nucleation, or focussing on simulations and modelling.

We are a diverse, friendly team and any student will have opportunities for international travel, and we anticipate high-impact research outputs. We are looking for students with a strong Honours or Masters degree in physics, chemistry, engineering, or a related field. Experience with one or more of microfabrication, experimental or theoretical fluid dynamics, or image analysis would be beneficial.

The project is affiliated with the MacDiarmid Institute, one of New Zealand’s Centres of Research Excellence, which provides access to excellent academic and practical training, and to a comprehensive range of tools and expertise throughout New Zealand. The student will benefit from the MacDiarmid Institute’s thriving postgraduate community which delivers various opportunities for personal development. For example, the CRISP programme offers vocational training to enable a smooth transition into an exciting career beyond the PhD.