The Physics of Soft Matter (PhySM) lab is part of the Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter group at Wageningen University and Research.
We are a curiosity-driven bunch who like to study the hydrodynamical aspects of soft matter and biophysics. We are particularly interested in key fundamental questions in both natural phenomena and industrial applications. To tackle them, we transform them into lab-scale bench-top experiments, and theoretical and/or numerical modeling exercises, and identify routes towards solutions.
We are affiliated with the JM Burgerscentrum national research school for fluid mechanics, the SoftComp EU network of excellence, and the GreenTE consortium on exploring the role of mechanical forces in plant cell development.
Our pursuit of science happens to come from a position of privilege, and we are aware that not everyone is exposed to the same kind of opportunities. We strive for equity, diversity, and inclusion as a team. Openly accessible education is one of our core principles. We exclusively use open-access software for teaching and research, and all our research data is also openly accessible. Most of our research is publicly-funded, which means that we also feel obliged to let the public know what we are doing with their support, which we try to achieve with our outreach activities.
We are enthralled by science, and do keep ourselves occupied with the pursuit of a scientific career. But that is not all that we do; there’s a lot more going on in our lives besides our scientific endeavours.
Jan ‘25 - Mani gives a talk on “Capillary evaporation of salty solutions: to diffuse or to creep?” at the annual NWO Physics conference at Veldhoven.
Oct ‘24 - We co-organize the week-long course on Active hydrodynamics.
Sep ‘24 — Mani gives a talk on “Capillary evaporation of salty solutions: to diffuse or to creep?” and Udo gives a talk on “Marangoni bursting of polymeric liquids” at the European Fluid Dynamics Conference at Aachen.
Jun ‘24 — We co-organize the 32nd edition of the Han-sur-Lesse Winterschool (in summer) on soft matter and biophysics.
May ‘24 — We are awarded an NWO ENW-XS grant to study the biophysical principles of evolution in motile cells.
Mar ‘24 — Christoph successfully defends his M.Sc thesis titled “Marangoni bursting of polymeric liquids”.
Jan ‘24 — Mani presents her poster on “Capillary evaporation of salty solutions: to diffuse or to creep?” at the annual NWO Physics conference at Veldhoven.
Jun ‘23 — Udo gives a talk on “Salt-rimmed capillaries: is it creep (or is it a weirdo)?” at the annual JM Burgers symposium at Lunteren.
May ‘23 — Udo gives a talk at ‘Pint of Science Wageningen’ on bubbles, beers, and waves on a slinky.
Jan ‘23 — PhySM lab officially takes off at Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research.