The award is given each year to a young researcher who has shown promise in the field of rheology.
Rheology, the science of the deformation and flow of matter, is a relatively new field study, with its origin dating back about 100 years. To put it bluntly, rheologists study materials that exist between a solid or fluid state.
This ranges from the toothpaste you use to brush your teeth to the tissues that make up your body, says Safa Jamali, a Northeastern University professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.
“Arguably, 90% of things we deal with are in the between,” he says.
As a rheologist himself, Jamali examines the theoretical and computational sides of the field using data-driven research and machine learning technologies. Jamali has worked at Northeastern since 2017 in the mechanical and industrial engineering department, working in the thermal and fluid mechanical sciences.
“We try to better understand, for example, how materials form,” he says. “What is it that gives a piece of jello its properties? It’s jiggly. It’s solid and doesn’t easily flow but if you squish it it does. … What is inside the material that gives its properties, and if you understand that connection, can you design better materials?”
In practice, this research has real-world implications in the development of products in a range of industries from consumer goods to additive manufacturing, he explains.
For his contributions to the field, Jamali is the recipient of this year’s Arthur B. Metzner Early Career Award. He was presented the award by The Society of Rheology, which is a part of the American Institute of Physics. Every year the society gives out the award “to a young person who has distinguished him/herself in rheological research, rheological practice, or service to rheology.”
Jamali, 39, says it’s “heartwarming” to see his research recognized by the prestigious organization. The award is named after Arthur B. Metzner, a Canadian chemical engineering professor and well-known rheologist who made significant contributions in establishing rheology as its own field of study.
“People who have been given this award are very influential in our community,” he says. “These are people who have been really recognized for their amazing work. To be named alongside those people is just really humbling.”
“Now that there is this spotlight, you only need to work harder,” he adds. “You want to make sure you rise to the occasion and do work that is on par with the recognition.”