Karen Daniels Research Group

The lab conducts experiments on granular materials, fluids, gels and disordered metamaterials to investigate behavior away from equilibrium. Researchers connect these experimental systems with theoretical approaches to examine the mechanisms controlling transitions between different material behaviors. Experiments explore how failure occurs and how unexpected patterns emerge in materials whose collective behavior depends on many interacting parts. Some studies use simplified experimental systems to examine biological and geological phenomena, while others draw questions from industry and climate change.