Mendes Research Group - Functional Soft Matter

Research Interests

My research focus on "Functional Soft Matter” and it encompasses  fundamentals and application aspects. Mainly working with gels and self-assembled molecules, I make use of micro fabrication, microfluidics and 3D printing techniques to formulate new responsive / functional / soft materials. Studies spam from magneto or light responsive micro-structured surfaces to drug nano carriers, tissue engineering and lab-on-a-chip virus detection.  My research group is embedded in a larger structure and many interdisciplinary projects are carried out in cooperation with chemist and biologist colleagues, on campus and abroad.

Art Embedded Learning in Higher Education

In 2018 I created a new concept for integration of Art in Higher Education. Since then, I offer twice a year  “Art, Empathy & Ethics” at MSc and BSc level, which  brings the students to the atelier where, through the process of “making art as an artist” and guided by professional artists, the students generate a personal debatable Ethics statement. I constructed this course inspired by the impact artists have on the interpretation of new technologies that raises social awareness and novel ethical questions. At present, I am working on consolidating this methodology and expanding it to other aspects of integration of Art in Higher Education.

Bio

I have a background in physics and received a PhD in France on polymer gels. After a few years at École de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ParisTech) as a CNRS fellow, I moved to the Laboratoire de Dynamique des Fluides Complexes (Strasbourg). I am in Delft since 2003 where I hold an Associate Professor position.
In 2014 I spent a semester in Cornell as a visiting professor.

For a complete overview on my Research and Art Embedded Education, please, follow the links below:

Dr. E. Mendes