Today we are talking about L. Mahadevan, Lola England de Valpine Professor of Applied Mathematics at Harvard University. Professor Mahadevan is back in the limelight again with his latest paper in journal Science on self-organization of a nanobristles into ordered, hierarchical helical assemblies (see my last post). Professor Mahadevan enjoys working on a variety of problems related to nonlinear and nonequilibrum behavior of living and nonliving matter. According to Professor Mahadevan

The wrinkling in an elephant’s trunk and in billionth-of-a-meter nanotubes proceed from the same physical principles. The oscillations and flutters that agitate a piece of paper when you blow on it operate by mechanisms similar to those that caused an improperly designed bridge to tragically, and famously, collapse.

His latest article on self-organization of a nanobristles is proof of his concept. In past he has done some fantastic work self-organized origami, design principles for plant and fungal movements , and fluid-flow induced flutter of a flag (2 articles featured in journal Science in same year). Painter and designer Jonathan Nix has also featured Mahdevan work through his oil paintings as Mahadevan Series. Professor Mahadevan is proud alumni of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, and luckily I had a chance to interact with him via a teleconferencing organized by IIT, Madras during Shaastra‘ 05. Mahadevan was trained as mechanical engineer initially and later turned to applied mathematics and mechanics. Professor Mahadevan does not believe in a hierarchy of problems-

A problem is just that: a problem, Nature does not tell us what kind of a problem it is—a physics problem, a biology problem, an engineering problem, an important problem, an unimportant problem…Nature couldn’t care less

Read more:

• Simple curiosities compel scientist
• The Physics of the Familiar
• A Remarkable Eye for Out-of-the-Ordinary Mathematics, SIAM News 38 (2005)