Roberto Zenit

Roberto Zenit is the Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence and Professor of Engineering at Brown University's School of Engineering. He leads the Zenit Research Lab, focusing on fluid mechanics with emphasis on two-phase flows, biological systems, non-Newtonian fluids, and the fluid dynamics of artistic painting. His research bridges fundamental science and applications in engineering, biology, and art. He holds a B.Sc. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

Research Interests:

• Two-Phase Flows: Studying bubbly and granular flows, including turbulence dynamics in non-Newtonian fluids.
• Biological Flows: Investigating locomotion of microorganisms and fluid-structure interactions in biological systems (e.g., heart valves).
• Artistic Painting Mechanics: Analyzing fluid dynamics in techniques by artists like Pollock and Siqueiros, focusing on pattern formation and material rheology.

Recent Research Trends: Recent articles highlight advancements in bubble dynamics, viscoelastic fluid behavior, and applications in biomedical engineering. Key themes include turbulence in polymeric fluids, granular media locomotion, and microgravity experiments.

Labs/Teams: The Zenit Research Lab collaborates across disciplines, with ongoing projects on artistic painting fluid mechanics and biomedical fluid dynamics. He is affiliated with the American Physical Society.