The 2017 CAIMS Research Prize is presented to Professor James Feng from the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UBC in recognition of his influential contributions to the study of complex fluids.

Prof James Feng is an international expert in multi-component complex fluids, with highly cited work on two-phase flows, moving contact lines, dynamics of drops, jets, and bubbles. His mathematical research is characterized by challenging scientific computation and novel theoretical insights, and his scientific contributions also span physical experiments. Feng is a recognized master in the complex relationship between morphology and rheology of sheared 2D foam, with experimental discoveries and theoretical explanations in bubble coalescence, migration and segregation. He provided a framework for formulating and computing multi-component complex fluid flows and their interfaces, which has since been adopted by other groups, and applied in industrial applications. In contact line theory, Feng devised a theoretical model that regularizes the singularity using Cahn-Hilliard diffusion at the fluid interface which produces the proper sharp-interface limit with finite slip velocity. He has recently made significant advances applying his complex fluid and foam expertise to modelling biological cells and tissues, focused on the deformation, motility, and mechano-sensing of living cells, and the coupling between biochemical signaling and mechanics that shapes the dynamics of cells and tissues. Feng does great service to applied mathematics in demonstrating both the beauty and the practical applications of sophisticated research based on computation.

For more details on Professor Feng’s research, see http://www.math.ubc.ca/~jfeng/