Some facts (sort of CV)

Name: Petia M Vlahovska

Date of birth: 19 December 1971

Place of birth: Bulgaria

Education

1997-2003  Ph.D. Chemical Engineering

Yale University

Dissertation: “Dynamics of a surfactant-covered drop and the non-Newtonian rheology of emulsions” (zipped ps file)

Advisors: Prof. Michael Loewenberg and Prof. Jerzy Blawzdziewicz

               2001    M.Phil. Mechanical Engineering, Yale University

               1999    M.S. Chemical Engineering, Yale University

1994-96   M.Sc. Post-graduate program in “Separation processes in the industry and environmental protection”

Laboratory of Chemical Physics and Engineering, University of Sofia, Bulgaria

Thesis: “Modeling the drying of solvent coatings on continuous webs”

Advisors: Dr. Richard Aust and Prof. Franz Durst (LSTM, Germany), Prof. Krassimir Danov (U. Sofia)

1989-94   M.Sc. Chemistry  with concentration in chemical physics and theoretical chemistry

University of Sofia, Bulgaria

Thesis: “Diffusion-controlled adsorption kinetics in micellar surfactant solutions”

Advisor: Prof. Krassimir Danov

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

July, 2006-        Assistant Professor, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College.

2005/06              Visiting Scientist, Theory Department, Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany

2003/05              Visiting Assistant Professor, Division of Engineering, Brown University.

1996/97             Research Associate, Laboratory of Chemical Physics and Engineering, University of Sofia, Bulgaria.

OTHER ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

2007 Analytical and Quantitative Microscopy, Marine Biological Lab, Woods Hall 

2002        Boulder Summer School  “Physics of Soft Condensed Matter”.

1995        Visiting student, Theoretical Fluid Mechanics Group, LSTM, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.

AWARDS

2005      Max-Planck Fellowship, to work with Dr. Rumiana Dimova on vesicle adhesion, Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany

2004      David Crighton Fellowship, to work with Prof. Tim Pedley on suspensions of swimming microorganisms, DAMTP, Cambridge, UK.

2002     Prize Teaching Fellowship, Yale University, for outstanding performance and promise as a teacher.

1993     Evrika Foundation scholarship for excellence in natural sciences, Bulgaria.

1991     Department of Chemistry scholarship for outstanding student, University of Sofia, Bulgaria.

FUNDING

ACS-PRF

PUBLISHED PAPERS

• P. M. Vlahovska, R.S. Gracia “Dynamics of a viscous vesicle in linear flows”, Phys. Rev. E 75 016313 (2007) (pdf)
• P. M. Vlahovska, J. Blawzdziewicz and M. Loewenberg “Deformation of a surfactant-covered drop in a linear flow”, Phys. Fluids 17, 103103,  (2005) (pdf)
• P. Vlahovska, J. Blawzdziewicz and M. Loewenberg “Nonlinear rheology of a dilute emulsion of surfactant-covered spherical drops in time-dependent flows”, J Fluid Mech. 463, pp. 1-24 (2002) (pdf)
• J. Blawzdziewicz, P. Vlahovska and M. Loewenberg, “Rheology of a dilute emulsion of surfactant covered spherical drops” Physica A 276, pp. 50-85 (2000) (pdf)
• K. Danov, P. M. Vlahovska, P. Kralchevsky, A. Mehreteab and G. Broze, “Adsorption kinetics of ionic surfactants with detailed account for the electrostatic interactions: 2. Effect of the presence of electrolyte”, Colloids Surfaces A 156, pp. 389-411 (1999) (pdf)
• P. M. Vlahovska, K. Danov, A. Mehreteab and G. Broze, “Adsorption kinetics of ionic surfactants with detailed account for the electrostatic interactions: 1. No added electrolyte”, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 192, pp. 194-206 (1997)  (pdf)
• K. Danov, P. M. Vlahovska, T. Horozov, P. Kralchevsky, C. Dushkin, A. Mehreteab and G. Broze, “Adsorption in micellar surfactant solutions: nonlinear theory and experiment”, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 183, pp.223-235 (1996) (pdf)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructor, Dartmouth College

2007,2008                    “Fluid Mechanics” (undergraduate).

2008 “Mechanics of the cell” (graduate)

Instructor, Brown University

2003                    “Fluid Mechanics” (undergraduate).

2004, 2005           “Fluid Mechanics II” (graduate).

2004                    “Complex fluids” (graduate).

Teaching Assistant, Yale University

2002                    “Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations with Applications” (undergraduate).

2000, 2002           “Mathematical Methods I” (graduate).

2000, 2001           “Thermodynamics for Chemical, Mechanical and Environmental Engineers” (undergraduate).

1999                    “Applied Numerical Methods I” (graduate).

1999                    “Introduction to Chemical Engineering: Material and Energy Balances” (undergraduate).

Tutor, Yale University

2000-2002            Yale College Math and Science Tutoring Program (undergraduate).

SYNERGISTSIC ACTIVITIES

• Referee and peer review: Physical Reviews, Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Colloids and Surface B: Biointerfaces, Chemical Engineering Science, (7 reports in 2006/07), two NSF grant proposal panels and one foreign(US-Israel BSF) grant proposal review
• Symposium organization: co-organizing a Summer School on Complex and Bio-Fluids in Corsica, 2009

co-organizing mini-symposium on “Biological Cells and Capsules” at the 8th World Congress on Computational Mechanics (2008)

• Current Collaborations

Bio-membranes: Dr. Rumiana Dimova and Dr. Ruben S. Gracia (Max-Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Theory and Bio-systems, Germany) , Prof. Thomas Powers (Division of Engineering, Brown), Prof. Chaouqi Misbah (UJF-Grenoble, France) , Prof. Michael Miksis (Applied Math, Northwestern University)

Surfactant-covered drops: Dr. Etienne Lac, Schlumberger Research, Cambridge, UK; Prof. Yuan-nan Young (Applied Math, NJIT)

INVITED TALKS

April 2008 DEAS, Harvard University

Feb 2008 University of Vermont

Oct 2007 ESAM, Northwestern University

Oct 2007 Physics Dept, Brown University

July 2007 ICIAM, Zurich

May 2007 Institut Curie, Physical Chemistry Unit, Paris, France

March 2007 Department of Mathematical Sciences, NJIT

July 2006                        Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

March 2006                   “Membrane Protein Science and Engineering” workshop, IPAM-UCLA

March 2005                     Flow Physics and Computation group, Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

February 2005                 Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College

November 2004                DAMTP, University of Cambridge, UK

April 2003                        Division of Engineering, Brown University

PRESENTATIONS

Regular presentations at the AIChE Annual Meeting and the APS-Division of Fluid Dynamics meetings.

ADDITIONAL INTERESTS

languages: Bulgarian (native), English, Russian, German, some Italian, Greek and Spanish.

hobbies: opera, ancient history