Dr. Yoav Matia

Dr. Matia completed his Ph.D. in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Technion, where he studied fluid-structure interactions where viscous effects are predominant. These problems are of significant interest in the swimming of micro-organisms, blood flow in small vesicles, geophysical flows and viscous peeling.

At Cornell, in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Dr. Matia is analyzing the transient dynamics of fluid-solid composite structures, an interdisciplinary research subject that straddles theoretical fluid mechanics, soft robotics, soft actuators, and composite structures. (Soft robots are made from soft, elastic materials and are used where rigid robots are not viable, for example, for drug delivery or assistive devices.) Specifically, Dr. Matia explores advanced fluid-structure interactions, for example, when fluid flow involves liquid that chemically reacts or interacts with the surrounding solid. Such interactions may include swellable material, such as solution or wall material where, depending on its physical chemistry, swelling or shrinking occurs. Thus the choice of fluid material used plays an active role in the interaction. He hopes that both theory and experiments can be used to produce new discoveries with potential applications in science, industry, and medicine.

Dr. Matia spent over 10 years working in industry as a mechanical engineer, contributing to his wide knowledge in the field and his maturity as a scientist. He is a member of the Israeli Association of Engineers and the American Physical Society.