Jagannathan Rajagopalan

MEMS for Nanoscale Materials and Biological Systems: Developing micro/nanoscale instrumentation to investigate the behavior of nanoscale materials and biological systems. For materials studies, the emphasis is on developing MEMS based platforms to conduct in situ SEM and TEM studies of nanoscale materials and investigate the coupling between their techanical, electrical and thermal properties. With regard to biological systems, the main focus is on creating ultra sensitive force sensors to explore the mechanics of cells and subcellular systems. Nanostructured Materials: Synthesis, microstructural characterization and testing of nanostructured materials. Understanding the synthesis-structure-property relationships of nanostructured materials is essential step to improve their performance and reliability. Emphasis of this research is on novel synthesis methods for nanostructured materials and quantitative in situ experiments to correlate their mechanical behavior with the microstructure and deformation mechanisms. Previous investigations have focused on pure metals, while current and future efffforts are aimed towards alloys and functional materials. Mechanics of Cells and Biological Systems: Explore the connection between mechanics and biochemical functions of cells. The major focus of this research is understanding the link between mechanical tension and the growth, development and functioning of neurons and neuromuscular junctions in vitro. The second aspect of this research is oriented towards characterizing force generation and sensing in mechanically active cells such as cardiomyocytes and fifibroblasts.