Jairo Diaz Amaya Headshot

Jairo Diaz Amaya

Assistant Professor

Department of Chemical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
jadche@rit.edu
585-475-6326
Office Location
INS-4108

Jairo Diaz Amaya

Assistant Professor

Department of Chemical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Bio

Dr. Jairo Diaz specializes in the experimental study of soft matter (e.g., liquids, gels, etc.). As a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Soft Matter Research (CSMR) in New York University (NYU), Dr. Diaz focused on the fabrication and self-assembly of DNA-coated colloids working with Prof. Pine. Together with NYU Prof. Grier and Prof. Hoyos from the ESPCI-CNRS in France, Dr. Diaz also investigated the hydrodynamic phenomena involved during the acoustic levitation of emulsion droplets. Dr. Diaz further extended his training in soft matter to biological systems working with Prof. Elbaum-Garfinkle at the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) Structural Biology Initiative at The City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Diaz received his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Colombia, Bogota, and his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Purdue University. His doctoral research was primarily focused on controlling the self-assembly of chiral cellulose nanocrystals. His work has enabled new avenues for the exploration of soft materials, deserving recognition from Purdue University, the Materials Research Society, and the Simons Foundation.

jadche@rit.edu
585-475-6326
Personal Links
Personal Website
Google Scholar

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Ceballos, Alfredo Vidal, et al. "Liquid to solid transition of elastin condensates." PNAS 119. 37 (2022): e2202240119. Web.
Abdelaziz, Mohammed A., et al. "Ultrasonic chaining of emulsion droplets." PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH 3. 4 (2021): 043157(9). Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
A., Jairo A. Díaz. "Multipotential Colloids." Simons Society of Fellows. Simons Foundation. New York, NY. 6 Oct. 2021. Conference Presentation.

Currently Teaching

CHME-320
Continuum Mechanics I
3 Credits
This course focuses on an introduction both fluid flow and heat transfer. In the first two thirds of the course, mass and force balances on control volumes are considered in both static and dynamic situations. Hydrostatic effects in manometers and static forces are calculated. Bernoulli’s Equation and applications are considered. Head losses and pumping requirements are considered in piping systems with laminar and turbulent flow. Friction factors for internal flows are also studied. In the last third of the course, fundamentals of heat transfer are introduced from a point-wise yet continuum perspective involving conduction, convection, and radiation. Simplifying approximations of conduction, convection, and radiation dominated heat transfer are introduced, and combined modes of transfer are analyzed.
CHME-350
Multiple Scale Material Science
3 Credits
This course provides the student with an overview of structure, properties, and processing of metals, polymers, ceramics and composites. Structural imperfections, atom packing, and phase diagrams are also discussed. The course develops a basic understanding of the structure/properties relationship in materials and introduces the principles governing phenomena occurring on the smallest continuum scales. Topics include force fields and interatomic bonding, crystallography, microscopy, order-disorder transitions and solidification phenomena. Conventional chemical engineering analyses topics, such as transport processes and thermodynamics, are adjusted and extended to the micro[nano]-scale.
CHME-651
Soft Matter & Molecular Self-assembly
3 Credits
Much of the modern research takes place at the interface of physical and life sciences. Soft matter systems (e.g., emulsions, liquid crystals, gels, colloids) bridge scientific communication across disciplines and produce a unique synergy between theory and experiments. Principles of soft matter are highly visual and easily extended to biological self-assembly and food science. This course provides essential tools to understand the behavior of soft matter at the meso- and micro- scale. This course will also provide representative examples of the latest experimental research with soft matter systems (e.g., DNA, proteins, particle tracking, active matter, and external force field activation). Specialized guest lectures and exposure to open-source software will be featured along the course.
MTSE-777
Graduate Project
3 Credits
This course is a capstone project using research facilities available inside or outside of RIT.