Welcome
Welcome to the Soft Matter Interfaces and Energy Laboratory in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, headed by Dr. Siddhartha Das. The main research focus of the group is to devise new theoretical and numerical models to explain different fascinating physical phenomena related to soft matter and interfaces. Our research endeavour range from better understanding the colloidal dynamics in an ubiquitous drying coffee drop and the response of an elastomer to surface tension forces to pinpointing the interplay of rheology and electrohydrodynamics in relevant biophysical and micro-nanofluidic problems. The group is also involved in extensive collaborations in several projects with strong experimental components — the main focus of the group for such problems is to clearly identify and hypothesize the central phenomena dictating the experimental observations.
Cheerios Effect (Photo Credit: David Duprey/Associated Press) 
March 2026: Paper Accepted in Physics of Fluids
In this latest single authored paper, Prof. Das studies the effect of a background active…
March 2026: Prof. Das receives his APS Fellowship
Prof. Das receives his APS Fellowship (from the Division of Polymer Physics) at APS Global…
February 2026: Paper accepted in ACS Applied Energy Materials
In this paper, which is a collaborative effort with a group in Catholic University of…
February 2026: Prof. Das delivers a Keynote Talk
Prof. Das delivers a Keynote Talk titled “PROBING POLYELECTROLYTE BRUSHES VIA ATOMISTIC AND ELECTRONIC SIMULATIONS…
December 2025: Paper accepted in Physics of Fluids
In this single-authored paper, I study the effect of active flows in capillary filling dynamics.
December 2025: Paper accepted in Journal of Physical Chemistry B
In this paper, we study the binding of thiocyanate ion to cationic brushes using all-atom…