Francisco Javier Solis

Francisco Javier Solis is Associate Professor of Physics in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University. He also serves as an Instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and is based on ASU’s West campus in Phoenix, AZ.

Research Interests. Solis focuses on the physics of biological systems, with particular emphasis on soft-matter phenomena driven by electrostatics, elasticity, and thermodynamics. His work spans:

• lipid membrane morphology and dynamics
• electrostatic pattern formation in fibers, pores, and nanotubes
• thermo-responsive hydrogels and polymer gels
• charged macromolecules and polyelectrolyte phase behavior
• theoretical and computational methods for heterogeneous dielectric media

Across his recent publications, a clear trend emerges toward understanding how competing interactions—electrostatic, elastic, and entropic—shape mesoscale structure and dynamics in biological and soft materials. Studies range from continuum phase-field modeling of multicomponent vesicles to variational formulations that yield true energy minima for charged systems.

Scientific Awards & Recognition. While no formal awards are listed in the provided text, Solis is a frequent invited speaker at APS March Meetings, ACS National Meetings, and university colloquia, and has served continuously since 2011 as a grant reviewer for the National Science Foundation and as a referee for Physical Review Letters, Journal of Chemical Physics, and other leading journals.

Teaching & Advising. Solis teaches a wide range of undergraduate and honors courses including General Physics, Honors Directed Study, Chaos & Non-linear Dynamics, and specialized individualized instruction. His sustained involvement in directed-study and thesis courses indicates active mentoring of both honors and graduate students.

Funding & Labs. He has served as PI or co-PI on NSF awards such as “Kinetic Properties of Multicomponent Charged Systems” (2009-2013) and earlier instrumentation grants for scanning-probe microscopy, underscoring his role in establishing experimental and computational research infrastructure at ASU West.