Mapping 3D flows around ciliated organisms using holographic optical tweezers

The aim of this project is to measure and model complex biological flows in and around living systems.

In particular, we will focus on imaging the 3D flow patterns produced by the beating of cellular organelles called cilia (also eukaryotic flagella), using a variety of protists (algae and ciliates) and the ciliated larvae of small marine invertebrates.

The structure and function of cilia is highly conserved among all eukaryotes, which means that understanding their mechanism of operation will give us important insights into motile cilia function in the context of human health.

Typically, due to the highly dynamic nature of cilia beating, the complex spatiotemporal flows induced by these biological oscillators are difficult to measure using conventional techniques, such as particle image velocimetry.

In this project we will harness the unprecedented control offered by optical tweezers to manipulate and measure the flows induced by single cilia at high spatial as well as temporal resolution in 3D space.

We will also process these results using rigorous computational and data science methods, to yield a complete picture of how distinct cilia types, arrangements, and densities act to produce different types of time-varying flow patterns.