Mechanics of soft and geometric materials

 Elastic materials deform under external or internal body forces. In soft materials, these deformations can result in instabilities that dramatically modifies their morphology. In this talk we will look at the role of geometry in triggering instability and in determining the morphology of thin elastic structures as they interact with liquid substrates and ways by which we can characterize these instabilities. In the second part we will look at a new class of geometric material where such instabilities can be prevented and the role of softness in designing them.

Bio-sketch
Ganga Prasath is currently a post-doc in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. He is interested in developing adaptable systems inspired by the natural world. His recent work takes a soft-matter view of robotics and animal behaviour, expanding the pattern formation paradigm with function. He received his PhD from the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences-TIFR for his work on elasticity and hydrodynamics and has a Masters degree from Ecole Polytechnique. With his background in physics, applied mathematics and engineering, he wants to approach real world questions with an integrated view of these fields.