Soft Matter Seminar: Sara Hashmi (Northeastern)

Bio: Sara M. Hashmi is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University, with affiliated appointments in mechanical & industrial engineering and chemistry & chemical biology.

Hashmi obtained her A.B. in physics & philosophy at Harvard. After spending one year as a research assistant, she obtained M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical & environmental engineering from Yale University. Following postdoctoral research studying colloidal phenomena in petroleum fluids, Hashmi founded and directed a highly collaborative, campus-wide instrument facility at Yale, the Facility for Light Scattering.

At Northeastern, she leads the Hashmi Complex Fluids lab, where her research focuses on “flowing soft materials through small spaces.” The Complex Fluids Labs studies flows of complex fluids, soft and active materials through confined geometries on both the micro- and macro-scale. The research both reveals fundamental fluid dynamic principles and applies them to real world applications. The highly visual and engaging nature of the research lends itself nicely to educational outreach efforts as well. Prof. Hashmi has been awarded both a CAREER Award from the NSF, and Northeastern University’s Dr. R.H. Sioui Award for Excellence in Teaching.