MICDE Seminar: “Mathematical Modeling of Engineering and Industrial Problems: What oil and gas well cementing and vascular-targeted drug carriers have in common,” Mariana Carrasco-Teja, U-M Chemical Engineering — May 4

Dr. Mariana Carrasco-Teja will speak as part of the Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Seminar Series. TIME/DATE: 10 a.m., Monday, May 4 LOCATION: 3725 Beyster Building TITLE: Mathematical modeling of engineering and industrial problems: What oil and gas well cementing and vascular-targeted drug carriers have in common. ABSTRACT: Within the past few decades, researchers, aided by the continuous evolution of computer infrastructure, have systematically increased the use of numerical simulations to solve a variety of problems, from climate change to protein folding, in more detail than ever before. Dr. Carrasco-Teja will talk about two examples in which the collaboration between lab experiments and mathematical modeling has yielded a deeper understanding of the underlying phenomena. The first example is about modeling primary cementing of oil and gas wells, driven by catastrophes such as the Deepwater Horizon il disaster in 2010, which highlighted the need for a better understanding of the process. The second example is the design of vascular-targeted carriers, in which the micro-scale dynamics of cells and particles can make or break the success of the therapy. These two examples will show how successful collaborations between different disciplines with an optimal use of current technology are crucial in the advancement of science. BIO: Dr. Carrasco-Teja received her PhD from the Mathematics Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) (Vancouver, BC). She was part of the Institute of Applied Mathematics (UBC), an institute established to enhance interdisciplinary teaching and research using applied mathematics as a common language between engineers and scientists. Her dissertation involved modeling and simulating the primary cementing of oil and gas wells, a crucial step to ensure a safe and efficient extraction of oil and gas. She attended several workshops focused on solving industrial problems in an interdisciplinary environment. After receiving her PhD, she continued her work as a postdoctoral fellow at the Complex Fluids Laboratory in UBC until she moved to Ann Arbor to join the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Since becoming a member of the Cell Adhesion and Drug Delivery Laboratory, she’s had a chance to work closely with bioengineers while applying her modeling skills into optimizing vascular-targeted drug micro- and nano-carriers. Dr. Carrasco-Teja is a candidate for Assistant Director at MICDE.