
Collective dynamics of Magnetotactic bacteria
Plumes emerge and grow in a concentrated suspension of MTBs aligned to an external field. We explain these novel dynamics using hydrodynamic singularities.
I am a Simons' Postdoctoral Fellow in the Center for Mathematical Biology at the University of Pennsylvania.
I build mathematical and numerical models for hydrodynamics problems that arise in soft active matter and biological physics, with particular interest in self-organization and complex environments.
I completed my PhD in 2022 at Cambridge in the group of Eric Lauga.
I work on problems at the interface between biology and fluid mechanics at small scales.
Specifically, I have been working on the influence of confinement on the large-scale patterns that emerge in suspensions of self-propelled particles interacting through the fluid.
I also seek to understand the interplay between the properties of complex fluids, and an organism swimming and sensing its surroundings.
Although I carried out experiments for projects in the MMN lab and at McMaster University , my current work is theoretical. That said, some of my favorite projects so far focused on understanding existing experimental data by building minimal models and simulations.
The gallery below shows some snapshot of current and recent research projects.
Plumes emerge and grow in a concentrated suspension of MTBs aligned to an external field. We explain these novel dynamics using hydrodynamic singularities.
We study the instabilities that arise in a confined suspensions of swimmers that align respond to external cues.
How much do hydrodynamic interactions control the stability clusters of self-propelled droplets? We study the hydrodynamic formation and breaking of circles of squirmers
We show how hydrodynamic interactions with surrounding particles improves the efficiency of helical propulsion, as shown experimentally.
Study of the spatial distribution of Chlamydomonas algae in a microfluidic chamber mimicking foam Plateau borders. A geometric billiard model shows that the swimmers get trapped in corners.
Describing the stochastic dynamics of microscopic particles driven by the motion of surface-attached bacteria undergoing run-and-tumble motion.
DRL 3N4C, Department of Mathematics
University of Pennsylvania
209 S 33rd Street, Philadelphia, US
Email: athery (at) sas.upennn.edu