Rana Ashkar Ph.D.

Rana Ashkar, Ph.D.

Rana is an Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at Virginia Tech with research expertise that spans experimentation and theory across biophysics, soft matter physics, and scattering methods. During her doctoral studies at Indiana University, she combined experimental and theoretical studies to develop a novel neutron interferometry approach for investigating materials in nanoconfinement. Her Ph.D. findings were recognized by the Esther L. Kinsey dissertation award, Indiana University’s highest honor for doctoral research. After Ph.D., she held a joint postdoctoral position at the University of Maryland and NIST where she utilized cutting-edge neutron scattering methods to investigate nanoscale dynamics of polymeric and lipidic materials implicated in function. In 2015, she received the Clifford G. Shull Fellowship from Oak Ridge National Lab where she led a biomembrane project to probe dynamic responses and topographic effects in biomimetic lipid membranes using novel experimental and computational approaches. Shortly after, she joined the physics faculty at Virginia Tech where she continues to develop state-of-the-art approaches to understand the physical principles underlying complex behavior in biological and soft materials with applications in materials science, synthetic biology, and nanotechnology. Rana was awarded a 2025 Sloan Research Fellowship in recognition of her novel research contributions. This prestigious honor is given to exceptional early-career scientists whose creativity and innovation position them as emerging leaders in their fields.

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