Emilie Dressaire

Biography

Emilie Dressaire received her undergraduate degree in Physics and Chemical Engineering from ESPCI (France) and her master degree in Biophysics from the University of Paris. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University in 2009. During her graduate studies, she worked on shaping fluid-fluid interfaces through capillary, elastic, and gravitational effects. She went on to become a postdoctoral research fellow at McGill University (Canada). After being a faculty member at NYU Tandon School of Engineering and a Research Scientist at CNRS (France), she joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at UCSB.

Research

Professor Dressaire's research aims at developing bio-inspired strategies to control and sense fluid flows at small scales, combining fluid dynamics, soft matter and biology. Her group relies on advanced experimental methods to uncover the design principles that govern biological systems and turn this knowledge into innovative technological solutions. Ongoing projects involve the development of smart surfaces that can control and sense the fluid flow, the study of the clogging of microchannels and transport of floating particles.

Mentoring Priorities

"I love coaxing my mentees, so they achieve their full potential. I strive to provide them with a safe and inclusive learning environment, rewarding challenges, and growth opportunities. I expect my mentees to embrace their academic experience and make the best of it as I promote their personal and professional development and cheer them on."