Lydia Bourouiba

Lydia Bourouiba is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the interface of fluid and bio physics, particularly through the Fluids and Health Network (FHN), which investigates fundamental physical mechanisms with applications in health and the environment. Her work includes the biophysics of pathogen transmission and control in human, animal, and plant populations, with an emphasis on drops, bubbles, and multiphase processes. Bourouiba's research spans theoretical and experimental approaches to understand fluid dynamics and their implications for health, food, water, and energy systems.

Lydia Bourouiba is a professor whose research focuses on the fluid dynamics of disease transmission, with an emphasis on understanding how respiratory pathogens spread through turbulent gas clouds and airborne particles. Her work explores the physics of coughing, sneezing, and the behavior of droplets and aerosols in indoor environments. Bourouiba's research has significant implications for public health, particularly in the context of infectious diseases like COVID-19. She investigates the role of fluid mechanics in health, environment, and energy applications, including the impact of bioaerosols on microbial ecosystems and the dynamics of bubble interactions with microorganisms.