Jovina Vaswani
ChemE Ph.D. Student & Poet
I am a final-year PhD student in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where I work with Dr. Sachin Velankar. My research focuses on how particle-laden drops deform, arrest, and coalesce under flow, combining microfluidic experiments with OpenFOAM simulations and constitutive modeling.
Previously, I completed my undergraduate degree from IIT Bombay.
I am also a poet. My debut poetry collection, It's Dawn, was released on December 13th, 2023.
PhD Research
My dissertation focuses on the dynamics of particle-filled drops under flow and upon cessation of flow, particularly how dense particle loading affects drop relaxation and coalescence. I combine rheology, microfluidics, and simulations.
Viscous Anchoring in Non-Newtonian Drops
OpenFOAM simulations using the Carreau-Yasuda constitutive model as an effective-medium description of the particle-laden interior. Low-shear-rate regions near drop ends transition to high viscosity, forming viscous anchors that arrest shape recovery. Three distinct regimes emerge depending on the relaxation time λ, characterized by a capillary Weissenberg number Wicap = λγ̇cap.
Relaxation Dynamics in a Microfluidic Stokes Trap
Individual particle-filled drops trapped in the stagnation zone of a 4-channel extensional flow device (Schroeder group, UIUC). Highly filled drops exhibit retarded, history-dependent relaxation and arrest at non-spherical shapes. Arrest can be mitigated by perpendicular extensional flow.
Flow-Induced Partial Coalescence
Shear-induced partial coalescence in PEO drops filled to >50 vol% silica in polyisobutylene. High shear creates arrested non-spherical shapes that partially coalesce at lower shear rates; merged drops revert to sphericity through collision-induced yielding — not capillarity. Systematic study of shear rate and loading dependence.
Publications
Spatiotemporal viscosity gradients shape breakup and relaxation in non-Newtonian drops
Manuscript in preparation
Relaxation of particle-filled drop in a 4-channel microfluidic hydrodynamic trap
Manuscript in preparation
Particle-filled emulsion drops show flow-induced partial coalescence, but only transiently
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol. 64, 22185–22195
Low viscosity liquid bridges: Stretching of liquid bridges immersed in a higher viscosity liquid
JCIS Open, Vol. 9, 100079
Curriculum Vitae
Education
PhD, Chemical Engineering
University of Pittsburgh · Advisor: Prof. Sachin Velankar
Aug 2021 — Expected Oct 2026
BTech + MTech, Chemical Engineering
IIT Bombay · Advisor: Prof. Rochish Thaokar
Jul 2016 — Jun 2021
Research Experience
Research Intern — Interfacial Rheology
Stanford University · Prof. Gerald Fuller
Jun – Jul 2019
Teaching
Transport Phenomena (ChE 300)
Teaching Assistant · University of Pittsburgh
Aug – Dec 2023
Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (ChE 2101)
Teaching Assistant · University of Pittsburgh
Jan – May 2023
Service
Student Member, Community Development Committee
Society of Rheology
Jan 2026 — Jan 2028
Student Judge, Research Day
Dept. Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh
2024, 2025
Science Outreach
Roy Hunt Elementary School — hands-on event for 6th graders
Mar 2025
Selected Presentations
Society of Rheology — Poster
Flow-induced partial coalescence in particle-filled drops
2024
APS March Meeting — Oral Presentation
Flow-induced partial coalescence in particle-filled drops
2024
Simulation
Experiments
Programming
Poetry
My poetry sits alongside my science — both are attempts to understand something difficult by looking at it carefully, and to write what I found so that others do not have to look quite as hard.
It's Dawn
Debut Collection · Published December 2023 · Illustrated by Nandan Prince
"Do not stop now, you little warrior. It's almost dawn."
Ryanna Hammond, poet
"It's Dawn is a beautiful collection of poetry about love, hope, loss, change, growth, and spirituality. Vaswani shares raw truths from her heart that are both relatable and profound. I highlighted many poems and a few were so stunning they gave me goosebumps. The theme of dawn — new beginnings — was a beautiful thread in this book."
Sabina Laura, poet
"It's Dawn is a beautiful and bright collection of poems. I love the dawn and light related imagery used throughout. Through strong imagery and emotion, these words offer solace and hope. There are themes of grief, loss, change, growth, hope, healing, love, and self-discovery within these pages. I also love the pretty illustrations that accompany the words!"
Somewhere in My Bones
Somewhere in my bones, I know that the waves knocking the air out of me will die, and I will live.
— It's Dawn
Poetry and I Are Forever
Every once in a while, my words launch into an orbit around you. I do not know how to shake from my bones this innate desire to write about you. The poems I write do not move you. Sometimes, you do not even read them, and so I wonder— do I really write for you? Or is it all for myself?
— It's Dawn
It Will Get Better
Here's to hearts— the ones which are lost, and falling apart. Here's to souls— the ones that are hurt while fighting the cold. The storms shall end. The dawn shall break. Thorns pricked, but roses await.
— It's Dawn
You'll Find Yourself
Oh, but how we lose ourselves for the things we love! And then, find ourselves while healing from their loss.
— It's Dawn