Seth Fraden
Professor of Physics
Ph.D., Brandeis University, 1987
The focus of Seth Fraden and his group is to understand the relation between interparticle interactions and phase transitions in colloidal suspensions such as genetically engineered viruses, latex, proteins, and polymers. Combining experiment, computer simulation, and theory, Fraden examines the role of entropy in driving disorder-to-order transitions. Other major objectives are to understand the physics of protein crystallization and the development of microfluidic based high throughput crystallization devices.
Recent Ph.D. Students
Seila Selimovic (2010) "Microfluidics for Protein Crystallization and Mapping Phase Diagrams of Aqueous Solutions." Present Position: Postdoc, Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology
Fei Huang (2008) "Interactions and Collective Behavior of Attractive Colloidal Rods and Microspheres Grafted with Filamentous Bacteriophage."
Present Position: Research Associate, State Street Investors, Cambridge, MA
Jung-uk Shim (2007) "Novel Approach to Protein Crystallization; Control of the Phase Behavior of Aqueous Solutions Using Microfluidics." Present Position: Research Fellow, Cambridge University
Joshua Blouwolff (2006) "Experimental Investigations of Interactions and Collective Behavior in Protein/Polymer Mixtures and Granular Rods" Present Position: Staff Scientist, US Genomics
Kirstin R. Purdey (2004) "Liquid Crystal Phase Transitions of Mono- disperse and Bidisperse Suspensions of Rodlike Colloidal Virus" Present Position: Physics Lecturer, Penn State University
Sample of Recent Publications
Boukellal, H., Selimovic, S., Jia, Y. W., Cristobal, G., Fraden, S.. "Simple, robust storage of drops and fluids in a microfluidic device." Lab on a Chip 9. 2 (2009): 331-338.
F. Huang, K. Addas, A. Ward, N. T. Flynn, E. Velasco, M. F. Hagan, Z. Dogic, S. Fraden. "Pair Potential of Charged Colloidal Stars." Phys. Rev. Letts. 102. (2009): 108302.
Huang F, Rotstein R, Fraden S, Kasza KE , Flynn NT. "Phase behavior and rheology of attractive rod-like particles." Soft Matter 14. (2009): 2766-2771.
Selimovic, Seila, Jia, Yanwei, Fraden, Seth. "Measuring the Nucleation Rate of Lysozyme using Microfluidics." Crystal Growth & Design 9. (2009): 1806-1810.
Blouwolff, J., Fraden, S.. "Crystallization conditions of membrane protein CLC-ec1: An example outside the crystallization slot." Journal of Crystal Growth 303. 2 (2007): 546-553.
Purdy, K. R., Fraden, S.. "Influence of charge and flexibility on smectic phase formation in filamentous virus suspensions." Physical Review E 76. 1 (2007): Art. No. 011705 .