Christopher A. Browne

Christopher A. Browne is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan, starting his appointment in January 2026. He will lead the Mess Lab, which investigates soft matter and complex fluids in disordered environments where 3D disorder and unsteady forcing induce nonequilibrium or chaotic dynamics.

His research spans multiple interconnected areas:

• Soft Matter in Messy Systems - studying how biological, environmental, and engineered materials behave in disordered 3D spaces under dynamic stresses
• Tailoring Elastic Turbulence - using polymer additives to inject controlled chaotic instabilities into confined flows to enhance transport
• Customizing Liquid Crystal Condensates - examining how liquid-liquid phase separation forms intricate geometries and emergent life-like dynamics
• Flow Patterning of Polymeric Materials - understanding polymer stretching, phase separation, and gellation dynamics in 3D flows

The Mess Lab employs experimental microscopy combined with material synthesis to connect microscale dynamics to macroscale properties. This fundamental research aims to engineer innovative soft systems that leverage complex environments to address challenges in sustainability, clean energy, health, and resource security. Dr. Browne is actively recruiting researchers at all levels starting in January 2026 or shortly thereafter.

Dr. Browne utilizes pronouns he/him/his and can be contacted at cabrowne@umich.edu.