Adaptive nanostructured soft materials as bio-inspired interfaces

Speaker

Siddharth Doshi

PhD candidate, Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University

About This Talk

Living organisms leverage shape changes in soft matter to navigate and survive complex, ever-
changing environments where adaptation can be a matter of life and death. My research aims to develop active soft matter that brings this reconfigurability to micro- and nanoscale engineered systems. This can enable critical technologies such as biosensors or imaging devices that form adaptive interfaces with living environments. I will discuss two key technologies from my research which enable more flexible control at the nanoscale: (i) soft, nanoscale optical modulators that control light through nanoscale manipulation of geometry with soft materials and (ii) the patterning of dynamic polymer actuators at the nanoscale with unprecedented resolution to fabricate cuttlefish-inspired photonic skin. Finally, I will present my vision for sensors and actuators for adaptive devices that see, sense and survive in complex environments, ranging from the human body to the oceans.

About the Speaker

Siddharth Doshi is a PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University in the groups of Mark Brongersma and Nicholas Melosh. His work has focused on the nanoscale processing and characterization of soft materials for active photonic and bioelectronic devices. Previously, he received his B.Eng degree in Materials Science and M.Eng degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia), and worked in industry as a product development engineer leading the development of award-winning consumer appliances. He is an inventor on several granted and pending patents. His work has been recognized through several awards, including a Meta PhD Fellowship in Photonics, a Human Performance Alliance PhD Fellowship, the Stanford Graduate Fellowship and the Engineers Australia Young Biomedical Engineer Award.