Gabriel Juarez

Gabriel Juarez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, part of the Grainger College of Engineering. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University (2009) and has held postdoctoral positions at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on fluid mechanics, biophysics, and environmental engineering, particularly coral reef recovery, microbial oil degradation, and microfluidic systems.

Education: PhD in Physics and Astronomy from Northwestern University (2009), MS from Northwestern (2006), BA in Physics from Cornell University (2004).

Research interests include engineering coral reef recovery, experimental soft matter, and low Reynolds number fluid mechanics. His work integrates microfluidics, microbial interactions, and environmental fluid dynamics to address challenges in marine ecology and oil spill remediation. Key projects include NSF-funded studies on coral recruitment and NSF-RAISE grants for coral reef engineering.

Notable awards include the Milton Van Dyke Award (2011) and multiple UIUC teaching excellence recognitions. He supervises a team of students and has published extensively in journals like Physical Review Fluids and Scientific Reports. His lab develops innovative substrates and fluidic systems to enhance coral settlement and study microbial behaviors.

Funding includes NSF grants for coral reef engineering and oil spill recovery. Collaborations involve institutions like MIT and CARMABI Research Station.