Mathias Kolle

POSITION
Principal investigator (2017), J-WAFS

Mathias Kolle was a 2017 principal investigator within the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he has been an associate professor of mechanical engineering since 2013. Prior to joining MIT, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher for professor Joanna Aizenberg at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences of Harvard University.

Mathias' research focuses on translating unique biological optical sensing, communication and energy-conversion mechanisms into 'bioinspired', adaptive and 'tunable' micro-optical materials and devices. His 2017 J-WAFS funded research project, 'Multifunctional light-diffusing fibers for simultaneous light management and fluid transport in microalgae bioreactors' sought out a viable alternative source for food, feed, and biofuel by engineering solutions for light and nutrient management in microalgae cultures that can help produce algal biomass in a scalable, energy-efficient, affordable way.

His recent research takes inspiration from nature and butterflies to design materials that exhibit advanced optical functions, such as colour-changing sheets and fibres that can be woven into pressure-monitoring bandages, tied into strength-testing knots or fluid droplets that amplify the rainbow.

Mathias took a diploma in physics from the Saarland University, Germany, and the University of Lorraine, France. He subsequently received his PhD from the Cavendish Laboratories, University of Cambridge in 2010.

Read full bio

Multimedia

There are no multimedia items linked to
Mathias Kolle

Events

There are no events linked to
Mathias Kolle

Publications

There are no publications linked to
Mathias Kolle

Photos

Photos