Robin L. Blumberg Selinger PhD

Prof. Robin Selinger joined Kent State’s Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute in 2005. She holds bachelor’s, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Harvard University. Her research interests lie in theoretical/computational studies in liquid crystals and other soft materials. She works with molecular scale, mesoscale, and continuum simulation techniques and a major unifying theme throughout her research is the study of topological defects and their role in transport, microstructure, and shape evolution.

Recent work has focused on liquid crystal elastomers, a novel class of stimuli-responsive materials that can be "programmed" to undergo autonomous deformation when heated or illuminated. Other recent work focuses on "materials by design," complex defect microstructures in nematic liquid crystals driven by surface anchoring patterns. Robin Selinger was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2016. She currently serves as an elected member of the APS Council and the APS Board of Directors. She also serves as Speaker-elect of the APS Council and will serve as Speaker of the Council in 2022.