Our Team

Prof. Ala’a Eftaiha

Hashemite University, Jordan

Prof. Eftaiha joined our lab in September 2023. Our collaborative project inspects the effects of Gemini Surfactants on the structure, organization, and dynamics of lipid membranes, with far reaching implications in artificial cells and other biotechnologies.

Dr. Suryabrahmam (Surya) Buti

Surya joined our lab in June 2023 after a postdoc at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris. He brings remarkable expertise in Flicker spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. In our lab, Surya is involved in a number of projects including curvature-mediated membrane reorganization and dynamic responses of membranes to molecular additives.

Teshani Kumarage

Teshani’s doctoral project is focused on the structural, dynamical, and phase-separation responses of cell membrane mimics to cholesterol and sterol-lipid conjugation – with direct applications in biological function and drug delivery applications.

Dinidu Hathnagoda

Dinidu’s doctoral project is focused on understanding how architectural changes in sterols influence the packing state, dynamic fluctuations, and organization in mimetic lipid membranes – of relevance to cellular evolution and adaptation.

Chathurika Hetti Arachchige

Chathurika’s doctoral project is focused on the effects of polymeric additives on collective dynamics, phase-separation, and stability of lipid membranes – of significant relevance in liposomal delivery applications and artificial cell technologies.

Amirali (Al) Chizari

Al’s master’s project is focused on analyzing neutron reflectometry studies on supported lipid membranes, including the detection of nanoscopic lipid domains with sterol-lipid conjugation.