Roberto C. Andresen Eguiluz

Revealing biomolecular mechanism for controlling aqueous adhesion
and lubrication

The Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) is a force spectroscopic technique to directly measure the interaction forces between two macroscopic surfaces, with sub-nanometer distance resolution and tens of piconewton force sensitivity. Combined with multiple beam interferometry (MIB), it allows us to observe interfacial phenomena in real time and in situ. This seminar will describe the SFA, and how we are using it to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that allow bacteria stick to surfaces in aqueous and salt-rich environments, as well as the molecular interactions that regulate friction and wear in synovial joints.

Biography

Dr. Roberto C. Andresen Eguiluz has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of  Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California Merced since July 2019. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University, and had postdoctoral appointments at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests center on exploring how biomolecules in confinement regulate adhesion and lubrication.