Principal Investigator

Prof. Seth Fraden

Professor of Physics

Email: fraden@brandeis.edu

Phone: (781) 736-2888

Fax: (781) 736-2915

Dr. John Berezney 

Email: berezney@brandeis.edu

Dr. Wei-Shao Wei

Project: DNA Origami

Email: wswei@brandeis.edu

Wei-Shao is a postdoctoral associate in the Fraden Lab. Current research focuses on characterizing the kinetics of self-limited assembly of DNA origami, quantifying their block-block interactions, and exploring potential applications such as encapsulation. He holds a B.S. in Physics at National Taiwan University and earned his Ph.D. in Physics at University of Pennsylvania working with Prof. Arjun Yodh. During his doctoral work, he studied assembly and self-shaping behavior of liquid crystals (LCs) in confined environments and characterized dynamic properties of LC-mediated colloidal crystals. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, photography, and sketching.

Dr. Michael Stehnach

Project: Microfluidics

Email: michaelstehnach@brandeis.edu

As a postdoctoral associate in the Fraden Lab, Michael’s current research focuses on designing and fabricating new microfluidic devices for drug discovery applications and active matter systems. Additionally, he is the manager of the MRSEC microfabrication facility on campus. After completing his bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College, he earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University working with Prof. Jeff Guasto, where he studied cell motility in complex inhomogeneous fluid environments. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, skiing, and music.

Dr. Katsu Nishiyama

Project: Active nematics

Email: nishiyama@brandeis.edu

Katsu is a postdoctoral associate in the Fraden Lab. He is currently working on active nematics. He holds Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Science at Waseda University. He earned Doctor of Science at Waseda University working with Prof. Yuka Tabe, where he studied nonequilibrium dynamics and dissipative structure in cholesteric liquid crystals. In his free time, he enjoys music and reading.

Dr. Quang Tran

Project: Active matter

Email: quangtran@brandeis.edu

Quang joins the Fraden Group as a postdoctoral associate, working on cytoskeletal active matter. He obtained his PhD at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore with studies on biophysics of cells and tissues in vitro. He then pursued his first postdoc at multiple institutions in France including Institut de Physique de Nice, Pasteur Institute and Institut Jacques Monod, working on active soft matters and assembly of cytoskeletal proteins. Quang loves baking and hiking in his free time.

Dr. Pragya Arora

Project: Self assembly

Email: pragyaarora@brandeis.edu

Pragya did her PhD at Jawaharlal Nehru Center for Advanced Scientific Research, India. During her PhD, She aimed to explore the interplay of nature and the degree of activity, chirality, and deformability in glassy slowing down. The development of synthetic active matter systems that capture certain key features of living ones allows for a systematic investigation of how activity alters the transition from a fluid to a dense amorphous solid. To this end, she developed a model system of vertically vibrated granules, providing a controlled setting to explore this interplay. In my free time, Pragya likes to paint, sketch, meditate and explore new places to eat. 

Rupam Saha

Project: DNA Origami

Email: rupamsaha@brandeis.edu  

Rupam did his Bachelor in Physics from Scottish Church College affiliated to University of Calcutta and Master in Physics from University of Hyderabad. Currently, He is working on templated self assembly with the help of DNA origami. He is also the webmaster of Fraden Lab. Rupam loves mobile photography, exploring new places and does regular experiments with cooking.

Akshit Aggarwal

Project: Active Nematics

Email: akshitaggarwal@brandeis.edu

Akshit did his bachelor's in physics from the University of Delhi, followed by a master's from IIT Bombay. Starting with photosensitive robots as his first active matter system, now he is working on light-sensitive active nematics. Akshit loves collecting books more than reading them. He also enjoys watching anime and talking some history.

Keshav Sundar

Email: keshavsundar@brandeis.edu

Keshav is an undergraduate student at Brandeis majoring in Computer Science and Biology. His current research is focused on utilizing Machine Learning techniques to better understand the chemical basis behind Turing Patterns. In his free time Keshav enjoys playing basketball, swimming, and learning new instruments.