UMass Amherst

Jeffrey M. Davis

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemical Engineering
259B Goessmann Laboratory, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003-9292
(413) 545-2916
jmdavis@ecs.umass.edu
http://www.ecs.umass.edu/che/faculty/davis.html

Microfluidics and Interfacial Fluid Dynamics

Our fundamental research into transport phenomena ranges from microfluidic applications to studies of the dynamics and stability of spreading films and the effects of non-normal disturbance operators.  The unifying theme is the mathematical modeling of complex transport phenomena using rigorous techniques of applied mathematics, with applications to problems of technological relevance. This research is designed to broaden the understanding of transport behavior at the microscale, which is necessary for the further development of miniaturized, automated systems for fluid manipulation and control.  These rigorous approaches are currently being extended to applications of biological and biomedical relevance, including sensors for chemical and biological contaminants.

Research Interest Potential Application
Microfluidics Analytical and biosensor applications
Interfacial Fluid Dynamics and Free Surface Flows Design of microfluidic devices

Honors and Awards

  • George Van Ness Lothrop Honorific Fellowship, Princeton , 2002
  • William R. Schowalter Travel Award, Princeton , 2001
  • Gordon Y. S. Wu Fellowship in Engineering, Princeton , 1999
  • National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, 1999
  • Roger de Friez Hunneman Prize in Chemical Engineering, MIT, 1999
  • Phi Beta Kappa, MIT, 1999

Publications

  1. Jeffrey M. Davis and Sandra M. Troian, “On a generalized approach to the linear stability of driven thin films,” Phys. Fluids 15, 1344 (2003).
  2. Jeffrey M. Davis and Sandra M. Troian, “Influence of Attractive van der Waals Interactions on the Optimal Excitations in Thermocapillary Driven Spreading,” Phys. Rev. E  67, 016308 (2003).
  3. Jeffrey M. Davis and Sandra M. Troian, “Influence of Boundary Slip on the Optimal Excitations in Thermocapillary Driven Spreading,” to appear in Phys. Rev. E  (2004).
  4. Anton A. Darhuber, Jeffrey M. Davis, Sandra M. Troian, and Walter W. Reisner, “Thermocapillary Actuation of Liquid Flow on Chemically Patterned Surfaces,” Phys. Fluids 15, 1295 (2003).
  5. Anton A. Darhuber, Joseph P. Valentino, Jeffrey M. Davis , Sandra M. Troian, and Sigurd Wagner, “Microfluidic Actuation by Modulation of Surface Stresses,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 82, 657 (2003).