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Sascha Hilgenfeldt
Visiting Professor

Engineering Sciences & Applied Mathematics
and Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208, USA

TEL: 217-244-7252

link to research web page

B.S. Mathematics, University of Munich (1995)
M.A. Physics, Munich University of Technology (1995)
PhD. Physics, University of Marburg (1997)

My CV and publication list

 Honors and Awards:

  • NTFG awards from 3M Technologies 2006, 2007
  • Ehrenfest colloquium laureate at Leiden University 2001

Research: Fluid mechanics; Soft Matter; Cellular Systems

Professor Hilgenfeldt studies the interfacial structure and dynamical evolution of soft condensed matter, using experiment, theory, and numerical simulation. A particular focus is on biological soft matter on the cellular level and on systems of importance in industrial applications (colloids, foams). One main line of research concerns gas/liquid two-phase systems, consisting of single or multiple bubbles. The research spans all areas from the mathematical fundamentals of the theory to the development of engineering applications. Oscillating microbubbles are a great tool for exciting microfluidic flows of unparalleled speed and shear stresses. In foams, bubble geometry plays an intricate role in governing physical phenomena such as rheology, coarsening, or drainage. The results are important beyond foams for a large class of cellular materials, ranging from polycrystalline metals and ferromagnets to biological cell aggregates.

In the classroom:

Professor Hilgenfeldt has taught Fluid Mechanics at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as transport phenomena and classical mechanics. He has developed a series of new courses on Soft Matter, including a class on Soft Solids and one on Structured Fluids.

Selected Publications:


S. H. and D. Lohse, “Predictions for upscaling sonoluminescence''. Phys. Rev. Lett.  82 , 1036 (1999).

S. H., S. Grossmann, and D. Lohse, “A simple explanation of light emission in sonoluminescence”,Nature  398 , 402 (1999).

S. H., S. A. Koehler, and H. A. Stone, "The dynamics of coarsening foams: accelerated and self-limiting drainage”,Phys. Rev. Lett.  86 , 4704 (2001).

S. H., A. M. Kraynik, S. A. Koehler, and H. A. Stone, “An accurate von Neumann's law for three-dimensional foams”,Phys. Rev. Lett.  86 , 2685 (2001).

R. Toegel, S. H., and D. Lohse. “Suppressing dissociation in sonoluminescing bubbles: The effect of excluded volume”.Phys. Rev. Lett.  88 , 034301 (2002).

M. Brenner, S. H., and D. Lohse. “Single-bubble Sonoluminescence”.Rev. Mod. Phys.  74 , 425 (2002).

P. Marmottant and S. H., “Controlled vesicle deformation and lysis by single oscillating bubbles'', Nature  423 , 153 (2003).

S. A. Koehler, S. H., and H. A. Stone, “Foam drainage on the microscale, Part I:
Modeling flow through single Plateau borders and films'',J. Colloid Interface Sci.  276 , 420 (2004).

P. Marmottant and S. H., “A bubble-driven microfluidic transport element for bioengineering'', Proc. Natl. Acad. Science USA  101 , 9523 (2004).

S. H., A. M. Kraynik, D. A. Reinelt, and J. M. Sullivan, “The structure of foam cells: Isotropic Plateau Polyhedra'', Europhys. Lett.  67 , 484 (2004).    

E. A. van Nierop, M. A. Stijnman and S. H., “Shape-induced capillary interactions of colloidal particles'', Europhys. Lett.  72 , 671 (2005).