2008-2009 Postdoc Project Areas at Corning Incorporated

Project 1: Research in the Modeling & Simulation department of Corning Incorporated. The primary research area involves developing fundamental descriptions of the behaviors of complex fluids and pastes; these fluids are highly filled with particles formed from a variety of materials, and featuring a very wide particle size distribution. The fluids also contain high-molecular weight organic molecules, oils, and surfactants. The microscopic behaviors of these fluids in an extrusion process, especially near the walls of the channels containing the flow, are of particular interest, and a variety of phenomena including orientation effects, segregation of particular fluid components, and so on need to be understood. This is a large area, and there is flexibility in the precise research topic.

Project 2: Research in the Modeling & Simulation department of Corning Incorporated. This research area includes the modeling and analysis of a class of multiphase flows including nano-particles in micro-channels, with liquid phase changes. The primary aim is to understand the flow hydrodynamics and transport of a slurry fluid (a mixture of solid particles in liquid fluid) in a porous ceramic media with a micro- and submicron pore network, and the relationshiops between macroscopic flow descriptions and detailed microscopic pore structure. The flow may be driven by gravity, and/or by imposed pressure differences. The drying process of slurry residuals in the porous media and the particle deposition during the drying is also of interest. There is flexibility in the exact specification of the problem, based on the candidate’s skills and interests.

Project 3: Research in the Modeling & Simulation department of Corning Incorporated. This involves the study of the interaction of cells with substrates, with a specific focus on understanding the consequent adhesion, motility and regulation of cellular metabolic pathways. The cell-substrate interaction involves interplay of mechanical, chemical and biological factors, resulting in a number of effects like cell spreading, formation of cell clusters, cell signaling and transduction, and cell functionality. The broad research area includes an understanding of these interactions at a molecular level, through multi-particle simulations, and using systems biology. There is considerable flexibility in the precise problem, which should include a systems level approach.