Abstract
In this talk, I will share two stories. First, I will share our discoveries on why aquatic worms braid, tangle, and knot with their neighbors to form extraordinary living ``blobs”. These soft, squishy “living polymers” shape-morph, crawl, float, and untangle – the stuff of science fiction. Through mathematical models and robotic analogs, I will explain how these worms solve Gordian knot problems, inspiring active, topologically tunable robotic swarms.
Second, I will examine the century-old practice of sheepdog trials to identify strategies for controlling noisy and indecisive herds of sheep. In these competitions, sheep stochastically switch between following and ignoring control signals, yet skilled dog-handler teams excel at herding and splitting them on demand. Using simulations and temporal network theory, I will demonstrate how stochastic indecisiveness, a behavior often seen as a challenge, can instead be harnessed to efficiently control noisy swarms, with applications in swarm robotics, opinion dynamics, and adaptive networks.
About the Speaker
Dr. Saad Bhamla is currently an Associate Professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and an incoming faculty member at the Biofrontiers Institute at CU Boulder. His curiosity-driven research in the ‘Physics of Life’ uncovers extreme biological movements, from ATP-independent ultrafast cells to topological active matter in worm blobs and sled dog team dynamics. He also pioneers ‘Frugal Science,’ inventing scalable, low-cost tools like the 20-cent paper centrifuge, 23-cent electroporator, and $1 hearing aid, all aimed at democratizing access to science and healthcare.
He leads the Frugal Science Academy, which provides hands-on training in molecular and synthetic biology for underrepresented students and teachers. He also directs the in-situ Jungle Biomechanics Lab, a field-research course that trains early-career scientists in interdisciplinary fieldwork in the Amazon Rainforest. He has commercialized a low-cost RNA vaccine technology (ePatch) through a venture-funded startup, published over 50 articles, and guided 3 postdocs into tenure-track positions.
His work has earned early career awards from federal, defense, and philanthropic institutions, including the Schmidt Polymath Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, Moore Inventor Fellowship, NSF Career Award, and NIH Outstanding Investigator Award. These accolades underscore his ability to balance curiosity-driven ‘blue sky’ science with the invention of technologies that address challenges in human health, defense, and robotics. His teaching and research excellence has been recognized by the Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award, CTL Award for Teaching Excellence, and Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Research at Georgia Tech.
His dedication to making science accessible and enjoyable through the creation of multilingual comics, titled “A Curious Zoo of Extraordinary Organisms,” earned him the National Academies’ Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication. In 2023, Newsweek listed him among the top 10 Innovators transforming healthcare.
Host: Professor Varda Faghir Hagh