Z Lab

Welcome to the Z Lab at the University of Washington! We use a unique computational tool set to investigate the self-assembly, transport, and effective properties of colloidal materials, particularly those driven by or responsive to electromagnetic fields. Broadly, we are interested in (1) developing new computational methods that are both fast and accurate, (2) elucidating fundamental relationships among electromagnetic fields, colloid structure, colloid dynamics, and effective properties, and (3) applying this fundamental understanding for application-specific design of colloidal material technologies. Our specific interests include designing new optical metamaterials incorporated in optoelectronic devices, understanding field-driven transport of magnetic colloids within porous media for biomedical applications, and understanding charge transport in soft material electrolytes.