Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy
Education
- Doctoral Degree, Mechanical Engineering, University of California - Berkeley
- Master's Degree, Mechanical Engineering, University of California - Berkeley
- Master's Degree, Mathematics, University of California - Berkeley
- Bachelor's Degree, Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut
Biography
Eva Kanso is a professor and the Z.H. Kaprielian Fellow in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California. While at USC, Kanso joined the Division of Civil, Mechanical & Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI) of the National Science Foundation (NSF) as an IPA rotator in Fall 2021. Prior to joining USC in 2005, Kanso held a two-year postdoctoral position in Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Caltech. She received a Ph.D. degree in 2003 and an M.S. degree in 1999 in Mechanical Engineering, as well as an M.A. degree in 2002 in Mathematics, all from the University of California at Berkeley. She obtained her Bachelor of Engineering degree from the American University of Beirut with distinction. Kanso held visiting positions at Princeton University in 2004, the Laboratoire LadHyX at the Ecole Polytechnique in 2015, the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences in 2016-2017, the Simons Foundation in 2016-2017, and the Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles in 2021. Her research interests concern fundamental problems in the biophysics of cellular and subcellular processes and the physics of animal behavior, both at the individual and collection levels. A central theme in her work is the role of the mechanical environment, specifically the fluid medium and fluid-structure interactions, in shaping and driving biological functions.
Research Summary
At USC, Kanso founded the Bioinspired Motion Lab, where she works with a highly-qualified team of students and post-docs on fundamental problems in the biophysics of cellular and subcellular processes and the physics of animal behavior, both at the individual and collection levels. A central theme in Kanso's work is the role of the mechanical environment, specifically the fluid medium and fluid-structure interactions, in shaping and driving biological functions.
Kanso's work can be broadly categorized into: (i) bio-inspired aerial and aquatic locomotion with application to autonomous, soft robotic vehicles, engineering design, and collective behavior; and (ii) biophysical modeling of bacteria and ciliary systems with application to biomedical flows, active materials and microfluidic manipulation and transport. More details can be found at https://sites.usc.edu/kansolab/
Awards
- 2016 USC USC Mentoring Award, faculty mentoring graduate students
- 2014 American University of Beirut Distinguished Young Alumnus Award
- 2006 National Science Foundation NSF CAREER Award
- 2002 University of California, Berkeley Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor
- 1999 Lebanese-American Association (LAA) Lebanese-American Association Scholarship
- 1998 Poage Family Poage Memorial Scholarship
- 1998 University of California, Berkeley UC Regents Fellowship
- 1996 Hariri Foundation, Lebanon Award for Academic Excellence
- 1994 American University of Beirut Dean's Honor List
