Kyle J. M. Bishop

Kyle J. M. Bishop is Professor of Chemical Engineering at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (Columbia Engineering), where he leads research at the intersection of active matter, soft materials, and micro-robotics. Appointed in 2016 after serving as Assistant Professor at Penn State and postdoctoral fellow with George Whitesides at Harvard, his work focuses on non-equilibrium assembly of colloidal systems.

Education:

• BS in Chemical Engineering (highest distinction), University of Virginia
• PhD, Northwestern University

Professor Bishop's research pioneers strategies for directing colloidal assembly outside thermodynamic equilibrium, with emphases on magnetic micro-robot navigation, synchronization phenomena in active matter, and electrochemical control of soft materials. His lab develops fundamental principles for programming collective behavior in synthetic systems, bridging chemical engineering, physics, and robotics to create materials with lifelike functionalities. Recent work explores biomolecular condensates, field-driven transport, and non-equilibrium information processing.

Analysis of his 2023-2025 publications reveals a cohesive trajectory toward autonomous control of active systems: magnetic micro-robots navigate complex landscapes through field programming, enzymatic coacervates implement biological feedback loops, and oscillator networks achieve emergent synchronization. These studies span soft matter physics, electrochemistry, and microfluidics, consistently targeting applications in programmable materials and environmental engineering while advancing non-equilibrium thermodynamics.

Scientific Awards:

• 3M Non-tenured Faculty award
• NSF CAREER award for 'Contact Charge Electrophoresis for Mobile Microfluidics'

Professor Bishop secures substantial research funding including his NSF CAREER grant developing contact charge electrophoresis for microfluidic applications. While current students aren't listed in source materials, his lab trains graduate researchers in experimental soft matter physics and micro-robotics. His group collaborates across disciplines to translate fundamental discoveries into technologies for targeted delivery and environmental remediation.

The Bishop Lab at Columbia Engineering operates as an interdisciplinary hub where chemical engineers, physicists, and materials scientists develop experimental platforms for manipulating colloids at fluid interfaces, with recent work focusing on magneto-capillary dynamics and field-programmable micro-robot swarms.