Non-Newtonian or complex fluids describe a wide class of materials from biological fluids like mucus and blood to everyday household products like shampoo and paint. There are many problems in physics and biology where understanding motion of (or in) complex fluids is essential for understanding natural phenomena. Tools from mathematical analysis and computational simulations can shed light on these complex problems that are significant in many biological, environmental, and industrial applications. I will describe some recent work on modeling micro-organism swimming in viscoelastic fluids, and understanding the mechanisms that lead to speed changes in complex fluids.

Biography: Dr. Becca Thomases (she/her) is a full Professor and the Vice Chair for graduate matters in Mathematics at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Thomases uses tools from analysis and numerical simulations to study fluid dynamics in complex (or non-Newtonian) fluids. Recently she has been looking at how micro-organisms such as sperm and other flagellated organisms move in mucus and other sticky, gooey environments. In addition to research Dr. Thomases spends a lot of time working on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in graduate and undergraduate education. She led an initiative to introduce undergraduate learning assistants in calculus discussion sections to facilitate active learning environments. She also modernized the Teaching Assistant training course at UC Davis to incorporate lesson plans that specifically address topics such as understanding the role of diversity in classrooms, and developing concrete strategies for building inclusive classrooms.