Welcome to Active Soft Matter and Bio-inspired Materials Lab 

is  part of the Faculty of Science and the  Center for BRAINS Institute  at the University of Twente, The Netherlands

We are a team of enthusiastic and result-oriented experimental scientists with a multidisciplinary background in active soft condensed matter, materials science, biophysics, chemical engineering, and microfluidics. Our research expertise lies at the interface of physicochemical manipulation (e.g., interaction potential, shape, and chemistry) of soft matter systems (e.g., biomembranes, active vesicles, artificial microswimmers, colloids, nanoparticles, and emulsions) and the fabrication of bio-inspired functional materials. We are interested in addressing fundamental questions in the dynamic self-organization of living matter, bio-membrane mechanics,  and active particle transport in complex fluids from a soft matter perspective.

    Our approach is highly multidisciplinary, bridging physical chemistry, biology, and materials science to tackle some of the most challenging problems in active matter. By employing cutting-edge model systems, including active particles and biological membranes, and drawing on our expertise in microfluidics, rheology, and real-space characterization tools, we are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the physics that drives the self-organization of living systems. We aim to not only advance our understanding of active matter systems but also to develop solutions to real-world problems (e.g., targeted-drug delivery and self-healing materials).

Twitter

News!!!

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Excited to share that our work featured on the Cover-page of ACS Nano!!!

https://pubs.acs.org/toc/ancac3/18/15 

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Mar 2024: Thrilled to shae that our work on Role of Shape in Particle-Lipid Membrane Interactions: From Surfing to Full Engulfment is just published in

ACS Nano https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.3c11106?ref=pdf 

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December 2023: 

1.  Thrilled to share that we have just received the NWO Open Competition Domain Science – XS grant. 

 November 2023:  Great news!

Our work on  A colloidal viewpoint on the finite sphere packing problem: the sausage catastrophe, is published in Nature Communications, 2023.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43722-0 

https://www.nature.com/collections/hjhbgijcei 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42254-024-00687-3

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2407999-tiny-balls-fit-best-inside-a-sausage-physicists-confirm/ 

November 2023:  Great news! Our work on A colloidal viewpoint on the finite sphere packing problem: the sausage catastrophe, is accepted in Nature Communications.

April 2023:

We have a Ph.D. position at the interface between Active Matter and Lipid membranes. If you are interested in joining our team, please reach out to us to get more information. h.r.vutukuri@utwente.nl 

March 2023:

Thrilled to share that we have just received the NWO Open Competition Domain Science – M1 grant !