Shelley L. Anna
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Physics(Courtesy)

Office: Doherty Hall A219
Phone: (412) 268-6492
Fax: (412) 268-3348
Email: sanna@cmu.edu
Secretary: Alice Yochum
    E-mail: ayochum@andrew.cmu.edu
    Phone: (412) 268-9851

Biography
Research Interests
Highlights
Awards and Honors
Publications
Research Group Site

Biography

Professor Shelley Anna received a BS in Physics from Carnegie Mellon in 1995 and MS (1996) and PhD (2000) degrees from Harvard in Engineering Sciences. After completing her doctoral degree, Professor Anna joined Solutia Inc as a Senior Research Engineer; she designed rheological test methods for developing and improving Solutia's adhesives, coatings, and films products. In 2001 she returned to Harvard for postdoctoral research. Professor Anna joined Carnegie Mellon's Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2003; she began a joint appointment in Mechanical Engineering and in Chemical Engineering in 2008. The major themes of Professor Anna's research are microfluidics, complex fluid dynamics, and interfacial fluid dynamics.

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Research Interests

In the Anna Lab, we are experimental fluid dynamicists interested in microfluidics, interfacial fluid mechanics, and surfactant transport. We develop innovative, microscale experimental methods to probe and control liquid-fluid interfaces, using scaling analysis, theory, and numerics as tools to complement our experiments. By developing strategies to separate timescales for relevant processes, we have been able to advance the fundamental engineering science of multiphase flows. Our current interests fall into the following four main categories. More information about these can be found on our research group website.

A Microscale Approach to Analyzing Interfacial Transport and Mechanics

Surfactant-Mediated Interfacial Flows at the Microscale

Control of Mixing Driven by Coalescence of Sessile Drops

Organic Suspension Stability

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Highlights

• Awarded the Russell V. Trader Career Faculty Fellowship, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University 2011-2013

• Awarded funding for "Characterization of Dispersant Adsorption Timescales Using a Microscale Tensiometer", as part of The Consortium for the Molecular Engineering of Dispersant Systems with Tulane University (V. John, PI), “The Science and Technology of Dispersants as Relevant to Deep-Sea Oil Releases,” Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, CMU PI: Anna, CMU co-PI: Walker, October 2011 – September 2014

• Filed patent application with S. Garoff, called “Apparatus and Process for Producing Patterned, Micron and Nanometer Size Reaction and Mixing Zones for Fluids Deposited on Smooth, Rough and Porous Surfaces and Applications of That Process,” Full Patent Application Filed February 15, 2011. Docket No. 279430.108_PCT.

• Elected Vice Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on Physics & Chemistry of Microfluidics, for the July 2013 meeting, and Chair for the 2015 Meeting. Co-chair, J. Posner

• Traveled to Leuven, Belgium to be a Lecturer on Microfluidics for the 13th European School on Rheology, held at the Laboratory for Applied Rheology and Polymer Processing, Leuven, Belgium, September 5 – 9, 2011.

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Awards and Honors

• Honorable Mention, Emerging Female Scientist, Carnegie Science Awards, 2012

• Russell V. Trader Career Faculty Fellowship, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, 2011-2013

• George Tallman Ladd Research Award, Carnegie Mellon University, 2006

• National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 2005-2011

• Achievement Award, Solutia, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, January 2001

• Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1995 to 2000

• Richard E. Cutkosky Alumni Award, Dept. of Physics, CMU, 1995

• Andrew Carnegie Society Presidential Scholar, 1994 to 1995

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Publications

       Recent Publications

       Selected Publications

       Full Publications

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Recent Publications

S. Chatterjee and S.L. Anna, “Interaction of Toroidal Focal Conic Defects with Shear Flow,” Soft Matter, 8 (2012) 2698 – 2705.

N.J. Alvarez, S.L. Anna, T. Saigal, R.D. Tilton, L.M. Walker, “Interfacial Dynamics and Rheology of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles at Air-Water and Xylene-Water interfaces,” Langmuir, 28 (2012) 8052 – 8063.

S.M. Vuong and S.L. Anna, “Tuning Bubbly Structures in Microchannels,” Biomicrofluidics, Special Issue on Multiphase Microfluidics, Guest Ed. Saif Khan, 6 (2012) 022004.

N.J. Alvarez, D.R. Vogus, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “Using bulk convection to approach kinetic-limited surfactant dynamics,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 372 (2012) 183-191.

S. Chatterjee and S.L. Anna, “Formation and Ordering of Topological Defect Arrays Produced by Dilatational Strain and Shear Flow in Smectic-A Liquid Crystals,” Physical Review E, 85 (2012) 011701.

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Selected Publications

N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “A Microtensiometer to Probe the Effect of Radius of Curvature on Surfactant Transport to a Spherical Interface,” Langmuir, 26 (2010) 13310-13319.

N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “Diffusion-limited adsorption to a spherical geometry: The impact of curvature and competitive time scales,” Physical Review E, 82 (2010) 011604.

W. Lee, L.M. Walker and S.L. Anna, “Role of Geometry and Fluid Properties in Droplet and Thread Formation Processes in Planar Flow Focusing,” Physics of Fluids 21 (2009) 032103.

S. Shojaei-Zadeh, S.R. Swanson and S.L. Anna, “Highly Uniform Micro-Cavity Arrays in Flexible Elastomer Film,” Soft Matter, 2009, Soft Matter 5 (2009) 743-746.

G.F. Christopher and S.L. Anna, “Microfluidic methods for generating continuous droplet streams,” Journal of Physics D – Applied Physics, 40 (2007) R319-R336.

S.L. Anna and H.C. Mayer, “Microscale Tipstreaming in a Microfluidic Flow Focusing Device,” Physics of Fluids, 18 (2006) 121512.

S.L. Anna, N. Bontoux, and H.A. Stone, “Formation of dispersions using ‘flow-focusing’ in microchannels,” Applied Physics Letters, 82 (2003) 364-366.

S.L. Anna, G.H. McKinley, “Elasto-Capillary Thinning and Breakup of Model Elastic Liquids,” Journal of Rheology, 45 (2001) 115-138.

S.L. Anna, G.H. McKinley, D.A. Nguyen, T. Sridhar, S.J. Muller, J. Huang, and D.F. James, “An Inter-laboratory Comparison of Measurements from Filament-Stretching Rheometers Using Common Test Fluids,” Journal of Rheology, 45 (2001) 83-114.

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Full Publications

1. N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, S.L. Anna, “A Criterion to Assess the Impact of Confined Volumes on Surfactant Transport to Liquid-Fluid Interfaces,” in press Soft Matter, June 21, 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sm25447f.

2. S. Chatterjee and S.L. Anna, “Interaction of Toroidal Focal Conic Defects with Shear Flow,” Soft Matter, 8 (2012) 2698 – 2705.

3. N.J. Alvarez, S.L. Anna, T. Saigal, R.D. Tilton, L.M. Walker, “Interfacial Dynamics and Rheology of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles at Air-Water and Xylene-Water interfaces,” Langmuir, 28 (2012) 8052 – 8063.

4. S.M. Vuong and S.L. Anna, “Tuning Bubbly Structures in Microchannels,” Biomicrofluidics, Special Issue on Multiphase Microfluidics, Guest Ed. Saif Khan, 6 (2012) 022004.

5. N.J. Alvarez, D.R. Vogus, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “Using bulk convection to approach kinetic-limited surfactant dynamics,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 372 (2012) 183-191.

6. S. Chatterjee and S.L. Anna, “Formation and Ordering of Topological Defect Arrays Produced by Dilatational Strain and Shear Flow in Smectic-A Liquid Crystals,” Physical Review E, 85 (2012) 011701.

7. N.J. Alvarez, W. Lee, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “The Effect of Alkane Tail Length of CiE8 Surfactants on Transport to the Silicone Oil-Water Interface,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 355 (2011) 231-236.

8. W. Lee, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “Competition between Viscoelasticity and Surfactant Dynamics in Flow Focusing Microfluidics,” Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, Special Issue on Rheology, Mixing, and Flow of Polymeric Materials, 296 (2011) 203-213.

9. S.L. Anna and S. Garoff, “Apparatus and Process for Producing Patterned, Micron and Nanometer Size Reaction and Mixing Zones for Fluids Deposited on Smooth, Rough and Porous Surfaces and Applications of That Process,” Full Patent Application Filed February 15, 2011. Docket No. 279430.108_PCT.

10. M. Ferer, S.L. Anna, P. Tortora, J. R. Kadambi, M. Oliver, G.S. Bromhal, and D. H. Smith, “Two-Phase Flow in Porous Media: Predicting Its Dependence on Capillary Number and Viscosity Ratio,” Transport in Porous Media 86 (2011) 243-259.

11. N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “A Microtensiometer to Probe the Effect of Radius of Curvature on Surfactant Transport to a Spherical Interface,” Langmuir, 26 (2010) 13310-13319.

12. N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “Diffusion-limited adsorption to a spherical geometry: The impact of curvature and competitive time scales,” Physical Review E, 82 (2010) 011604.

13. N.J. Alvarez, L.M. Walker, and S.L. Anna, “A Non-Gradient Based algorithm for the Determination of Surface Tension from a Pendant Drop: Application to Low Bond Number Shapes,” Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 333 (2009) 557-562.

14. W. Lee, L.M. Walker and S.L. Anna, “Role of Geometry and Fluid Properties in Droplet and Thread Formation Processes in Planar Flow Focusing,” Physics of Fluids 21 (2009) 032103.

15. G.F. Christopher and S.L. Anna, “Passive Breakup of Viscoelastic Droplets and Filament Self-Thinning at a Microfluidic T-Junction,” Journal of Rheology 53 (2009) 663-683.

16. S. Shojaei-Zadeh, S.R. Swanson and S.L. Anna, “Highly Uniform Micro-Cavity Arrays in Flexible Elastomer Film,” Soft Matter, 2009, Soft Matter 5 (2009) 743-746.

17. G.F. Christopher, J. Bergstein, N.B. End, C. Nguyen, and S.L. Anna, “Splitting and Coalescence of Droplets at Microfluidic Junctions,” Lab on a Chip, 2009, Lab on a Chip 9 (2009) 1102-1109.

18. G.F. Christopher, N.N. Noharuddin, J.A. Taylor and S.L. Anna, “Experimental observations of the squeezing-to-dripping transition in microfluidic T-junctions,” Physical Review E, 78 (2008) 036317.

19. G.F. Christopher and S.L. Anna, “Microfluidic methods for generating continuous droplet streams,” Journal of Physics D – Applied Physics, 40 (2007) R319-R336.

20. S.L. Anna and G.H. McKinley, “Effect of a controlled pre-deformation history on extensional viscosity of dilute polymer solutions,” Rheologica Acta, 47 (2008) 841-859.

21. S.L. Anna and H.C. Mayer, “Microscale Tipstreaming in a Microfluidic Flow Focusing Device,” Physics of Fluids, 18 (2006) 121512.

22. S. Shojaei-Zadeh and S.L. Anna, “Role of Surface Anchoring and Geometric Confinement on Focal Conic Textures in Smectic-A Liquid Crystals,” Langmuir 22 (2006) 9986-93.

23. D.R. Link, S.L. Anna, H.A. Stone, and D.A. Weitz, “Geometrically-Mediated Breakup of Drops in Microfluidic Devices,” Physical Review Letters, 92 (2004) 054503.

24. H.A. Stone, S.L. Anna, N. Bontoux, D.R. Link, D.A. Weitz, I. Gitlin, P. Garstecki, W. DiLuzio, G.M. Whitesides, and E. Kumacheva, “Method and Apparatus for Fluid Dispersion,” U.S. Patent Application 60/392,195 & 60/424,042 and Intl. Patent Application PCT/US03/20542, June 3, 2003.

25. S.L. Anna, N. Bontoux, and H.A. Stone, “Formation of dispersions using ‘flow-focusing’ in microchannels,” Applied Physics Letters, 82 (2003) 364-366.

26. S.L. Anna, G.H. McKinley, “Elasto-Capillary Thinning and Breakup of Model Elastic Liquids,” Journal of Rheology, 45 (2001) 115-138.

27. S.L. Anna, G.H. McKinley, D.A. Nguyen, T. Sridhar, S.J. Muller, J. Huang, and D.F. James, “An Inter-laboratory Comparison of Measurements from Filament-Stretching Rheometers Using Common Test Fluids,” Journal of Rheology, 45 (2001) 83-114.

28. S.L. Anna, C. Rogers, and G.H. McKinley, “On Controlling the Kinematics of a Filament Stretching Rheometer Using a Real-Time Active Control Mechanism,” Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 87 (1999) 307-335.

29. J.R. Mackey, K.K. Das, S.L. Anna, and G.H. McKinley, “A Compact Dual-Crystal Modulated Birefringence Measurement System for Microgravity Applications,” Measurement Science and Technology, 10 (1999) 946-955.

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