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Vibrations
The Newsletter for the EAS Community
Message from the Chair
This year, I am thrilled to welcome three new faculty to the Division. Georgia Gkioxari joins EAS as Assistant Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and Electrical Engineering, Franca Hoffmann joins EAS as an Assistant Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, and Smruthi
Karthikeyan joins EAS as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering; William H. Hurt Scholar.
Georgia Gkioxari joins us from Meta AI, where she was a research scientist focused on computer vision and machine learning. Smruthi Karthikeyan comes to EAS from nearby UC San Diego, where she developed new techniques to study how microbes in complex ecosystems shape human health. Franca Hoffmann, previously a von Kármán instructor from 2017-2020, returns to EAS from the University of Bonn in Germany.
So, a hearty welcome to Georgia and Smruthi, and a hearty welcome back to Franca!
I look forward to supporting Professors Gkioxari, Hoffmann, and Karthikeyan as they settle into their new roles within the vibrant EAS community, and I encourage you all to introduce yourselves if you have not already done so.
Harry Atwater
Otis Booth Leadership Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science
Selected Upcoming Events
February 28, 2023, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Caltech Consciousness & Reality Colloquium Series: "Studying Consciousness & Free Will: A Neurophilosophical Approach" - Liad Mudrik, Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University
Location: Online
February 28, 2023, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
EE Devices Seminar: "Multi-level quantum information processing with Superconducting Circuits" - Machiel Blok University of Rochester
Location: Moore B280
March 1, 2023, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Watson Lecture: "Enigma of the Heart" - Mory Gharib (PhD '83), Hans W. Liepmann Professor of Aeronautics and Medical Engineering; director of GALCIT
Location: Beckman Auditorium and Online
March 2, 2023, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Medical Engineering Seminar Series: "Mechano-enhancement of wound regeneration and nanomedicine delivery" - Dr. Andy Tay, National University of Singapore
Location: Annenberg 105
March 10, 2023, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Conversations on Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Personalized Medicine, featuring Azita Emami
Location: Online (Register using the link above)
May 17, 2023, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wouk Lecture: "Rethinking Evaporation: Thermal and Optical Evaporation from Pure Water and Hydrogels" - Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering, MIT
Location: Ramo Auditorium
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Events
March 1, 2023, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Women's HERstory Month: Lunch & Crafting
Location: Center for Student Services, Lobby
March 4, 2023, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
Holi Celebration - The Festival of Colors
Location: Beckman Mall Lawn
Spotlight On Our People: New Faculty Edition
Georgia Gkioxari
Assistant Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and Electrical Engineering
Inspired by human vision, Georgia's work focuses on endowing machines with visual perception. Her work explores methods for learning from visual corpora to tackle challenging visual tasks such as object recognition, object tracking, and 3D understanding from images and
videos—effectively combining ideas from computer vision, machine learning, representation learning and computer graphics. At the intersection of perception and robotics, Georgia is interested in the design of automated systems that assist humans in everyday tasks.
Georgia obtained her PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from UC Berkeley, and her diploma from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. After earning her PhD, she was a research scientist at Meta AI. In 2021, she received the PAMI Young Researcher Award, which recognizes a young researcher for their distinguished research contribution to computer vision. She was named one of 30 influential women advancing AI in 2019 by ReWork and was nominated for the "Women in AI" Awards in 2020 by VentureBeat.
Franca Hoffmann
Assistant Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
Franca’s research interests lie at the interface of model-driven and data-driven approaches. She works on the development and application of mathematical tools for the analysis of partial differential equations (PDEs) and data analysis. Franca’s work on PDEs revolves around non-linear drift-diffusion equations, kinetic theory, many particle systems and their mean-field limits, gradient flows, entropy methods, optimal transport, functional inequalities, parabolic and hyperbolic scaling techniques, and hypocoercivity. In the area of data analysis, Franca is working on graph-based learning, and the development and analysis of optimization and sampling algorithms. Franca’s work explores what mathematical analysis can do for applications and what applications can do for mathematics.
Franca obtained her master’s in mathematics from Imperial College London (UK) and holds a PhD from the Cambridge Centre for Analysis at University of Cambridge (UK). She held the position of von Kármán instructor at Caltech from 2017 to 2020, then joined University of Bonn (Germany) as Junior Professor and Quantum Leap Africa in Kigali, Rwanda (African Institute for Mathematical Sciences) as
AIMS-Carnegie Research Chair in Data Science, before arriving at Caltech as Assistant Professor.
Smruthi Karthikeyan
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering
Smruthi’s research interests lie at the interface of engineering, computational biology, and microbial ecology to mine the “microbial dark matter” which makes up ~99% of the microbial diversity on Earth, but which cannot be grown in the lab. They represent the largest reservoir of biodiversity on Earth and drive the life-sustaining biogeochemical cycles. Her overarching objectives are to develop integrated laboratory and computational approaches to provide a systems-level understanding of complex microbial communities and how these translate to biomarkers for environmental and human health.
Smruthi obtained her PhD in in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Microbiology, Microbial Ecology and Computational Biology from Georgia Tech in 2020. She was selected as a 2019 MIT Rising Star in Civil and Environmental Engineering and was chosen as one of ten “Rising Stars in Science” by Science News SN10 in 2022. Her research has been featured in 60 Minutes, TIME Magazine, Forbes, NBC Nightly News, Reuters, The New York Times, CNN, JAMA, Nature, and Science.
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EAS News Highlights
Structure showing bilayer graphene (red and blue) with tungsten diselenide (blue-yellow hexagons) placed on top. When electronic wavefunctions are pushed closer into the top graphene layer (red), i.e., closer to the tungsten diselenide formation of copper pairs of electrons (red ellipse) is enhanced.
Calls for Nomination & Funding Opportunities
Caltech’s Office of Foundation Relations maintains an online database and email subscription service of primarily non-federal funding opportunities as a resource for the Caltech community. Opportunities include calls for proposals released by private foundations, public charities, associations, corporations, internal Caltech opportunities and federal limited opportunities.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation - Matter-to-Life Grant (Faculty)
Sloan's new Matter-to-Life program aims to sharpen our scientific understanding of life by supporting curiosity-driven research falling within three focus areas: Building Life, Principles of Life, and Signs of Life. These areas define a broad scientific scope for understanding the physical principles and mechanisms governing living systems, while also highlighting an openness to exploring life broadly conceived by instantiating the distinctive functions of living systems in entities built using various matter platforms. The program will also support scientific meetings that promote information exchange, the development of collaborations, and self-organizing. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Total Award: $50,000 to $2,500,000
2023 Fulbright Opportunities
The Fulbright Program offers opportunities for students, scholars, educators, professionals, and higher education institutions. Fulbright programs are available for both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, and the deadline to submit applications varies depending on the program. Read the 2022 Fulbright Year In Review to learn more about the Fulbright Program and alumni, and visit the Fulbright Application website explore the most common programs.
New Horizons DEI Fund
The EAS Division is pleased to solicit small-scale proposals for new initiatives to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts by members of the EAS division. Short proposals (1 page with a budget) can be submitted to dei.eas@caltech.edu on a rolling basis and will be reviewed by members of the EAS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee is interested in new projects, such as seeding a new program that supports or impacts the EAS community or exploring a new outreach effort that engages EAS members in the local Pasadena community.
RSI Ideation Grants Program
The RSI Ideation Grants program helps Caltech innovators further the development and real-world application of their climate-tech technologies. These ideation grants are geared towards faculty, students, and post-doctoral researchers developing technologies and creating new ventures addressing climate change. Grants range from $5,000 - $15,000, and cover both projects and companies. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but funding is limited and candidates are encouraged to apply early. Learn more about the program and find application forms here.
COVID Updates: Visit together.caltech.edu for the latest communications from the Institute.
- As of October 3, 2022, masking is voluntary in all indoor settings, with the exception of instructional spaces. Students in instructional spaces must wear N95 masks, however instructors may elect to remove their masks. If you have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, you must wear a high quality mask (surgical mask, N95, KN95, or KF94 respirator) in any indoor space on campus for 10 days after exposure. Read the full update.
Effective Friday, March 17, the last day of winter term, the Institute will close its Caltech-sponsored surveillance testing program, and suspend the current twice-weekly testing requirement for students and employees. Read the full update.
- Voluntary surveillance testing is available to all (more info).
- Masks at no charge are available to persons with a Caltech ID at the Bookstore.
Division of Engineering and Applied Science
