Research Interests
Direct Measurements of Biological Membrane - Membrane Interactions, Ligand-Receptor Interactions, Polymer Thin-Films, and Small Angle Scattering Studies of Interfacial Films

Education
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara
Postdoctoral Fellow, Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara

Tonya Kuhl is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California, Davis. Prof. Kuhl earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Arizona and her Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara, both in chemical engineering. Her research interests are focused on measuring intermolecular and intersurface forces in complex fluid systems with an emphasis on polymers, polyelectrolytes, biomembranes, and bio-mimetic materials in order to develop new materials with useful properties. These materials are being studied since they can be prepared from renewable resources, they can be biocompatible and biodegradable, and often possess excellent physical properties. Modern principles and techniques of surface chemistry, physics, and biology are utilized as the means to achieve the goal of producing materials with superior properties for biomedical and engineering applications. There are currently two main focus areas, neutron scattering measurements of confined complex fluids and membrane interactions.