Wiebke Drenckhan - School of Mathematics - Trinity College Dublin

Employment
Wiebke Drenckhan
Date of Birth: 06.04.1977
Nationality: German
Address: School of Physics
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2, Ireland
Phone: 00353 (0) 1 608 8453
Email: Wiebke.Drenckhan@tcd.ie
Web: http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~wiebke
Postdoctoral Fellow 2004-2006 School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Assistant Editor 1999/2000 PAETEC/Duden Berlin, Germany (Science Publisher,
6 months)
Theater Vorpommern / 1995/1996 Employment at German Theatre and Television
NDR Rostock (stage design, costume design, archiving, acting)
Education
PhD (defended 2004) 2005 "Stability of foams and films in confined geometries"
with Prof. D. Weaire in Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
Postgraduate Diploma 2000 Graduated with Distinction (Average A+); University
of Canterbury, New Zealand
Intermediate Exam 1998 Graduated with Distinction (Average: 1.0); University
of Rostock, Germany
Leaving Certificate 1995 Graduated with Distinction (Average 1.1), Greifwald,
Germany
Scholarships and Fellowships
IRCSET Fellowship 2004-2006 Prestigious fellowship of the Embark Scheme by
Enterprise Ireland (86 000 Euro)
SAP AG Scholarship 2001/2002 The multi-national company financed the first year of
my PhD (18 000 Euro)
DAAD 2000/2001 Highly competitive German academic exchange
program paid for my degree in NZ (10 000 Euro)
German National - 1996-1999 & Membership given to the best 0.5 % German
Merit Foundation 2002-2004 students with leadership qualities. They funded my
undergraduate studies and two thirds of my PhD.
(app. 55 000 Euro)
Summer Academy 1994 Awarded participation in a special summer program
for gifted high school students (2 000 Euro)
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Scientific and Educational Nominations/Awards/Prizes
President of Ireland Nominated as one of 30 researchers worldwide for
Young Researchers Award 2005 the prestigious 1 Million Euro Award
University Prize 2000 2001 Awarded by the University of Canterbury for the best
degree
F.-L. Jahn Prize 1995 Received for outstanding leaving certificate
Successful grant applications
Scholarships (above) 85 000 Euro 1994-2004
Enterprise Ireland 86 000 Euro (PI) 2004-2006, Discrete Microfluidics
UREKA Sure student 2 000 Euro (PI) 2005, Undergraduate Parabolic Flight campaign
SFI Frontiers 200 000 Euro (PI D. Weaire), 2005-2008, Surface tension versus
inertial effects
Capacity Building Grant 17 000 Euro (PI S. Hutzler) 2006, Non-invasive analysis and
visualisation of 3D structured materials
BASF Ludwigshafen 80 000 Euro (PI) in negotiation for 2006-2008 on the exploitation
of Ordered micro-foams
Scientific Activities
Publications 18, including 4 popular science articles (see below)
Presentations 15 major presentations – 5 conference contributions, 6 invited seminars, 1 invited
presentation at industrial company BASF, 3 lectures at scientific school
Schools Co-organiser and lecturer at the winter school on "Fluid foam physics: a model for
complex systems", 2006, Ecole de Physique, Les Houches, France
Journal Reviews Journal of Applied Physics, Journal of Colloids and Surfaces A
Teaching experience
• 2006 Lecturing at scientific winter- and summer schools (see below)
• Since 2005 - Small group tutorials (up to 7 second year students)
- How to solve advanced problems in physics, course for final year students
• 2001-2004 Lab Demonstrating for 3 rd year students
• 1998 2 months teaching period with Freida Thomas in the “Future Problem Solving
Program” for gifted children at Alps Road Elementary School, Athens, USA
Supervision
• Since 2001 Supervised 9 undergraduate projects, including a successful parabolic flight
campaign
• Since 2004 Co-supervision of one Masters- and one PhD student
Management / Leadership skills
• Co-founder and director of SEED, an non-for-profit organization to foster collaborations between
the sciences and the arts (www.seedartscience.blogspot.com)
• Advisory board member of ISIS – “Symmetry in Art and Science”
• Postgraduate representative at Trinity College Dublin 2001-2004
• Coach and captain of various volleyball teams at Irish Premier League level, captain of the Trinity
College Volleyball Club 2002-2004
• Student representative 1996-1999, Senate member of the University of Rostock, Germany
1997/1998
Special Skills and Activities
• Languages: German (mother tongue), English (excellent), Russian and French (rudimentary)
• Scientific Sculpture – exhibited in Science Museum London
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• Monthly scientific cartooning for Physik Journal
• Illustration for Europhysics News and schoolbooks published by PAETEC/Duden in Berlin
• Writing of popular science articles
Peer Reviewed Scientific Articles
In preparation:
1. A. van der Net, W.Drenckhan “Understanding images of Foams”
2. Hernan Ritacco, W. Drenckhan, A. Saint-Jalmes, “The fluid dynamics of surfactant rivulets
between vertical plates”
Published:
3. A. van der Net, W. Drenckhan, D. Weaire, S. Hutzler (2006) "The Crystal Structure of Bubbles in
the Wet Foam Limit“ Soft Matter 2 (2): 129-134
4. A. Saugey, W. Drenckhan, D. Weaire "Wall slip of bubbles in foams" accepted for publication in
Physics of Fluids (Impact: 1.761)
5. W. Drenckhan "Anti-inertial lift in visco-elastic fluids" Physik Journal, Vol:1 (2006) (50 000
readers)
6. P. McGuinnes, W. Drenckhan, D. Weaire (2005) "The optimal tap: investigations in nozzle
design" J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 38:3382–3386 (Impact: 1.642)
(Downloaded more than 500 times in first 2 moths, was written up in Nature)
7. W. Drenckhan, S. Cox, G. Delaney, H. Holste, D. Weaire (2005) "Rheology of ordered foams- on
the way to Discrete Microfluidics", Coll. Surf. A, Volume 263 (1-3):52-64 (Impact: 1.513)
8. F. Elias, J.-C. Bacri, C. Flament, E. Janiaud, D. Talbot, W. Drenckhan, S. Hutzler and D. Weaire
(2005) "Magnetic soap films and magnetic soap foams", Coll. Surf. A, Volume 263 (1-3):65-75
(Impact: 1.513)
9. W. Drenckhan, S. Gatz, D. Weaire (2004), "Wave patterns of a rivulet of surfactant solution in a
Hele-Shaw cell", Phys. Fluids, 16(8):31115-3121 (Impact: 1.761)
10. W. Drenckhan, S. Cox, D. Weaire (2004) "The demonstration of conformal maps with twodimensional
foams", Eur. J. Phys., 25, 429-438 (Impact: 0.66)
11. S. Hutzler, N. Peron, D. Weaire, W. Drenckhan (2004), "The Foam/Emulsion Analogy in
Structure and Drainage“, Eur. Phys. J. E, 14:381-386 (Impact: 1.903)
12. W. Drenckhan, S. Hutzler, D. Weaire, "Foam Physics: the simplest example of soft condensed
matter", "Modern Trends of Physics Research 2004", AIP conference proceedings, Vol. 748,
Melville, New York
13. W. Drenckhan, F. Elias, S. Hutzler, D. Weaire, E. Janiaud, J.-C. Bacri (2003) "Bubble size
control and measurement in the generation of ferrofluid foams“, J. App. Phys., Volume 93 (12),
page 10078 (Impact: 2.255)
14. D. Weaire, S. Hutzler, W. Drenckhan, S. Cox, M.-D. Alonso, W. Drenckhan (2002) , "The Fluid
Dynamics of Foams”, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Volume 15, pages 65-73 (Impact:
2.049)
Presentations
Coming up:
“Discrete Microfluidics” invited presentation (together with D. Weaire) at the European Foams
Conference July 2006, Potsdam, Germany
The physics of foams and Discrete Microfluidics, 2 lectures at the Summer School 2006 of the
Marie-Curie Network SOCON (Self-organisation under Confinement), June 2006, Orsay, France
Past:
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1. Bubble Juggle – some physics of foams
2006, Department of Applied Mathematics, University College Cork, Ireland
2. Introduction the physics of foams; Discrete Microfluidics; Open Problems and current debates
and emerging questions in the physics of foams, 3 lectures at the Winterschool of “Fluid foam
physics: a model for complex systems” January 2006, Les Houches, France
3. Mikro-Schaeume: Die grosse Welt der kleinen Blasen (Micro-foams: the large world of tiny
bubbles), 2005, BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany
4. One at a time - first steps towards a Discrete Microfluidics
Liquid Matter Conference 2005, Uetrecht, Netherlands
5. A lunchtime stroll through the realm of wiggly worms and bubbly flowers
2004, School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
6. Some Confluences of Arts and Science in the Physics of Foams
ISIS Symmetry 2004, Tihanie, Hungary
7. Foam rheology with ordered foam structures – on the way to discrete microfluidics
European Foam Conference 2004, Marne-la-Vallee, France
8. Foam and emulsion structures for microfluidic applications invited lecture at the Conference of
Modern Trends in Physics Research Conference 2004, Cairo, Egypt
9. Von der Musterbildung zur Mikrofluidik – Aspekte Schaumphysik (From pattern formation
to microfluidics – aspects of the physics of foams)
2003, Physics Department, University of Ulm, Germany
10. Aspects of the physics of foams
2003, Physics Department, University of Strasbourg, France
11. Images and physics: pattern formation and microfluidics with foams
2003, Physics Department , University of Grenoble, France
12. Wave patterns of a rivulet in a Hele-Shaw cell
Annual European Rheology Conference 2003, Guemarez, Portugal
13. Bubble Juggle
School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Posters at Conferences as First Author
W. Drenckhan, S. Cox, G. Delaney, D. Weaire (2005) One at a time – first steps towards a Dicscrete
Microfluidics, Annual European Rheology Conference 2005, Grenoble, France
W. Drenckhan, S. Gatz, D. Weaire (2004) Instability and drainage characteristics of a rivulet of
surfactant solution in a Hele-Shaw cell, European Foam Conference, Marne-la-Vallee, France
W. Drenckhan, F. Elias, S. Hutzler, D. Weaire (2003) Bubble juggle, Conference on Solid-Fluid
Interfaces, St Feliuex de G., Spain
W. Drenckhan, S. Hutzler, N. Kern, D. Weaire (2002) Manipulation of Foam Flow , European Foam
Conference, Manchester, UK
Popular science Articles
W. Drenckhan (2006) "Dr. Atomics – when Physics enters Opera" Physik Journal
W. Drenckhan (2006) "Bubble crawling in Dublin", the “Mathematical Tourist” column in Mathematical
Intelligencer
W. Drenckhan (2005) "Ireland beats Scotland by 0.3%" in Europhysics News
W. Drenckhan, D. Weaire (2004), "Some confluences of art and science in the physics of foams",
Journal of ISIS - Symmetry, 1-4:54-57
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