Sandra M. Troian

Sandra M. Troian is a Professor of Applied Physics, Aeronautics, and Mechanical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), holding this position since 2006. She leads the Laboratory of Interfacial and Small Scale Transport (LIS2T), focusing on micro/nano-scale fluidic systems. Her academic journey includes a B.A. from Harvard University (1980), M.S. from Cornell University (1984), and Ph.D. from an unspecified institution (1987). She was a Moore Distinguished Scholar at Caltech (2004-2005).

Her research integrates theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and experimentation to study interfacial phenomena in confined and microscale systems. Key areas include thermocapillary-driven flows, nanoscale thermal effects (Kapitza boundary conductance, layering transitions), and nonlinear wave dynamics in liquid films. Experimental work explores non-contact lithography using patterned fields, biophysical Marangoni effects, and space micropropulsion systems.

Recent work has addressed thermal tunneling across liquid/solid interfaces, resonant excitation for microarray patterning, and novel conic mode formations in conductive liquids. Her group's contributions bridge fundamental physics and engineering applications, with implications for nanotechnology, aerospace, and biophysics.

• Key Contributions: Thermocapillary instability control, nanofilm thermal behavior modeling, and microscale lithography innovations
• Teaching: APh/Ph 112 ab – Noise and Stochastic Resonance (2022-23)
• Labs: LIS2T Lab, specializing in interfacial transport phenomena