Alexandra Alicke

Alexandra Alicke is an Assistant Professor in the Processing and Performance group at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). With a background in both Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, she aims at investigating the relationship between structure and mechanical (rheological) properties, and how these are affected by processing conditions in Soft Materials. Her strong expertise in experimental bulk (3D) and interfacial (2D) rheology is highly relevant to study both fundamental and applied problems, which are important for different areas such as biomedical, food, and energy industry.

Specifically for multiphase materials, such as emulsions and foams, the properties of the liquid-liquid or air-water interface govern their stability. Depending on the application, stability can be either desired or can be a hindrance. On one hand, by appropriately designing the interfacial properties stability can be imparted, for example to impart shelf-life stability to food products or contrast agents resisting specific physiological conditions. On the other hand, the understanding of the mechanical properties of the interface can provide insights into efficient destabilization mechanisms to be employed e.g. in targeted drug delivery or electrocoalescence applications.

Different BSc and MSc thesis projects are available (ranging from fundamental rheology problems to experimental set-up design), so please contact me directly for more info.