Abstract illustration of an array of lines

Professor James Feng is awarded the CAIMS Research Prize 2017

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 modeling
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/