Gupta

Fast but error-prone: AI assists in solving a decades-old fluid mechanics problem in weeks

Susan Glairon — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 14:59:57 +0000

Fast but error-prone: AI assists in solving a decades-old fluid mechanics problem in weeks Susan Glairon Wed, 08/05/2026 - 08:59

The image illustrates how a particle's shape influences the flow patterns around it.

Susan Glairon

Image caption: Illustration of how a particle's shape influences the flow patterns around it.

For seven years, Ankur Gupta, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��, had been pursuing a theory about how small particles move when driven by electric fields. Century-old research suggests that particle size and shape do not change their speed, but Gupta wanted to go deeper. He sought to understand how size and shape affect the motion of smaller particles when driven by electric fields, and with the help of Claude, an AI assistant, and his team’s rigorous verification, the researchers solved the problem in just five weeks.

In the following Q&A, Gupta discusses the research, how AI contributed to the discovery and the importance of human oversight.

Claude helped you solve a problem in five weeks that had remained unsolved for decades. What problem were you trying to solve?

There’s an intense interest in fabricating micron- and submicron-sized particles with a wide range of shapes. These tiny engineered particles are increasingly used in medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery and tiny self-propelled devices, where precise control of their movement is essential.

I was trying to develop a theory that predicts how these small particles move when subjected to an electric field and how their size and shape affect their motion.

What was still unknown about how small particles move?

Imagine kicking a ball. How fast it travels depends on how hard you kick it, as well as the ball’s size and shape. Something similar happens at the microscopic scale in a process called electrophoresis, where tiny charged particles move through an electrolyte solution when an electric field is applied. The electric field acts like the kick: the stronger the electric field, the faster the particle moves.

One might expect that, like a ball, larger or differently shaped particles would move at different speeds during electrophoresis. The Polish physicist Marian Smoluchowski showed more than a century ago that the speed of particles larger than a few micrometers is independent of size and shape. The remaining challenge was to understand what happens when particles become small enough for their size and shape to affect how they move.

What did you discover about how particle shape affects motion?

We found that the most important aspect of a particle’s shape is the stretch or compression, the change from a perfect sphere into a slightly elongated or flattened shape. Other deformations, such as waviness, have little effect on how the particle moves. Being able to predict how shape controls this motion is important because engineered micro- and nanoparticles are increasingly used in medical diagnostics, targeted drug delivery and self-propelled "micro/nano swimmers," where controlling their movement is essential.

What potential impact could your findings have on applications such as medical diagnostics and targeted drug delivery

Our findings show that a nanoparticle's shape affects how it moves in an electric field. This insight could help researchers design nanoparticles that travel at the right speed for applications like medical diagnostics and targeted drug delivery.

Why did you bring AI into the project?

For more than seven years, I had been pursuing a theory beyond the Smoluchowski result. My research group had explored several different approaches to the problem over a period of a year and a half, but we couldn’t find a solution.

There’s been a lot of buzz around AI, so we decided to give it a shot. We set up the problem, but we were curious whether AI could handle the long, detail-intensive algebra required to solve it.

What kinds of tasks was Claude especially good at?

It was especially good at handling repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as carrying out lengthy calculations, writing computer code and creating publication-quality figures. Even then, we had to carefully review its work to make sure everything was accurate.

What were the dangers of bringing AI into research?

AI can make mistakes, and relying on it too much can spread those mistakes throughout a project. For example, AI may confidently execute a well-documented procedure in the wrong situation and provide explanations that justify an incorrect answer. Researchers need to be skeptical of anything AI does and verify AI-generated results independently.

What surprised you most about the mistakes Claude made? Were they difficult to spot?

AI made the kinds of mistakes we expected, such as misinterpreting research papers or relying on unrealistic assumptions. As the work became more refined, the mistakes became much harder to detect. Claude sometimes made subtle mathematical errors that appeared correct, or adjusted its reasoning to match expected results, creating answers that looked self-consistent but were wrong. In some cases, the results, including graphs, appeared valid until we carefully checked every step.

Also, when preparing the manuscript and an accompanying blog, we asked Claude to help draft the "mistakes" section of our blog post, and it fabricated three plausible-sounding errors that never occurred.

What does a scientist need to do to ensure AI-generated results are reliable?

Scientists need to be deeply involved in the process. They must carefully check AI-generated work against primary sources, their own calculations and their understanding of how the science should behave. No single check was enough in our case. Rather than replacing the scientist, AI changes the role: researchers can use it to help build solutions to more ambitious problems, but they must apply their expertise to verify, refine and correct the results.

Though you used AI, how much of your work still depended on your own expertise?

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta

Expertise becomes even more valuable when using AI. While some tasks can be automated, other steps such as posing the problem correctly, choosing the right geometry and mathematical approach and interpreting what the results meant required our input. Claude's role was to accelerate the more time-consuming parts of the process, including calculations, coding and creating figures, but the scientific direction and decision-making remained ours.

Has this experience changed how you approach research?

It's made us much more deliberate about how we verify information. We now treat every AI-generated result the way we'd treat a result from a source we don't yet fully trust. It’s not something we can rely on until it has been checked against trusted sources or independent calculations.

What advice would you give graduate students about using AI responsibly?

Use AI to learn new techniques, but don't let it replace your own thinking. AI is excellent at combining existing methods, but much less capable of understanding a problem from a physical standpoint. That understanding must come from you, otherwise you will eventually lose the ability to evaluate AI's work. Think of it like learning chess. A player does not become a strong player by relying on a computer program that analyzes chess positions and suggests the best moves; you have to play thousands of games to develop the intuition needed to make decisions. Otherwise, you are not playing chess; you are simply following a computer's output.

Research led by Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta used AI to solve a decades-old fluid mechanics problem in weeks, revealing that a nanoparticle's overall shape, not its surface texture, determines how it moves in an electric field. The finding could help scientists design nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and medical diagnostics.

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The image illustrates how a particle's shape influences the flow patterns around it.

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Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems

Susan Glairon — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 15:24:17 +0000

Electric fields steered nanoparticles through a liquid-filled maze – this new method could improve drug delivery and purification systems Susan Glairon Wed, 11/12/2025 - 08:24

A new ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals how electric fields control nanoparticle movement through porous materials, enabling independent control of speed and direction. This finding could advance nanorobot technologies for applications like tumor detection, drug delivery and environmental cleanup of toxic chemicals.

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Where You See a Fancy Fish, Engineers See Alan Turing’s Math

Susan Glairon — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:22:32 +0000

Where You See a Fancy Fish, Engineers See Alan Turing’s Math Susan Glairon Thu, 11/06/2025 - 12:22

The New York Times: Using a computer model, Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta and Siamak Mirfendereski, a postdoctoral associate in Gupta's Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics (LIFE )lab, simulated the stripes, spots and hexagons on a species of boxfish, imperfections and all.

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Why do animals have spots and stripes?

Susan Glairon — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:36:46 +0000

Why do animals have spots and stripes? Susan Glairon Wed, 10/29/2025 - 09:36

The Popular Science article highlights a recent study published in the journal Matter, in which Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta and his team used computer simulations to replicate the irregular patterns and textures found in tissues. Their results show that differences in cell size naturally produce uneven, broken stripe patterns.

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How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect

Susan Glairon — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:24:53 +0000

How animals get their spots, and why they are beautifully imperfect Susan Glairon Mon, 10/27/2025 - 15:24

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta, the study’s lead researcher, and his team have developed a way to simulate natural animal patterns, including their imperfections. The findings could lead to new materials that turn to camouflage on demand.

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Ankur Gupta receives prestigious 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship

Susan Glairon — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:36:42 +0000

Ankur Gupta receives prestigious 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship Susan Glairon Tue, 09/23/2025 - 18:36

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been named the recipient of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship, a prestigious award recognizing outstanding early-career researchers in the field. The honor is awarded by the Soft Matter editorial board to an early-career scientist who has made significant contributions to soft matter research, selected from a pool of nominees put forward by the scientific community.

Soft matter is a branch of physics and materials science that studies materials that are easily deformed by external forces — typically lying between solid and liquid states.

Gupta is the principal director of the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow, and Electrokinetics (LIFE) in ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��'s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, where a team employs theoretical, numerical and experimental methods to study transport phenomena in electrochemical, microfluidic and biophysical systems.

Gupta’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Chemical & Engineering News Talented 12, Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in Electrokinetics, Air Force Young Investigator Award, AIChE 35 Under 35, Dream Chemistry Lecture, NSF CAREER Award, Soft Matter Emerging Investigator Award and the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award from IIT Delhi.

��Ҵ�ý�ƽ��'s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is one of only two institutions — along with MIT — to have two recipients of the Soft Matter Lectureship. Professor Tim White received the honor in 2019.

Read about Gupta's scientific journey in Soft Matter's Q&A

Adding to a growing list of honors, Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship — a prestigious recognition of outstanding early-career researchers in the field.

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Ankur Gupta named to C&EN’s prestigious "Talented 12" list

Susan Glairon — Fri, 23 May 2025 14:22:09 +0000

Ankur Gupta named to C&EN’s prestigious "Talented 12" list Susan Glairon Fri, 05/23/2025 - 08:22

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta was named to Chemical & Engineering News' prestigious Talented 12 list, which honors early-career scientists who use their chemistry know-how to make a real-world impact.

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ChBE faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award

Susan Glairon — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 21:52:51 +0000

ChBE faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award Susan Glairon Thu, 03/27/2025 - 15:52

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professors Kōnane Bay and Ankur Gupta from ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering have been honored with the 2025 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program Award.

Each received a $450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the Air Force. The program, offered by the Air Force Research Laboratory, supports early-career scientists and engineers with “exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research,” according to the AFOSR.

“This is among the most prestigious awards given to junior faculty, and to have both Ankur and Kōnane receive it in the same year is a remarkable testimony to their impressive achievements and very high potential for making future advances,” said Professor Ryan Hayward, chair of the department.

Kōnane Bay, self-healing, innovative materials

Bay says the next generation of polymer materials—materials with long chains of molecules like plastics, rubber and proteins—will need advanced features, such as the ability to repair themselves. While engineering synthetic polymers with these properties is challenging, biofilm-forming bacteria are promising as they use internal material factories to produce polymers on demand to survive changes in the surroundings.

“I am grateful to receive this award which will allow our lab to harness nature to create novel engineered living materials,” Bay said.

The award will support Bay and her team at the Huli Materials Lab in using biofilm-forming bacteria to develop new polymeric materials. The project combines 3D printing with bacteria’s natural movement to control the mechanical properties of biofilm-based synthetic polymers. The findings could lead to self-healing materials that can change shape, with applications in aerospace, soft robotics, and protective coatings.

Bay recently also received a prestigious CAREER Award, a $675,000, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation. The funding will advance her work in characterization of polymer thin film.

Ankur Gupta, more precise chemical sensors

Imagine being able to organize tiny particles as small as one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair.

Gupta’s research aims to do just that. He and his team in the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics (LIFE) study how these tiny particles form patterns through chemical reactions and diffusion. The researchers aim to control this process to develop materials that detect microscopic changes in the air, paving the way for advanced chemical sensors that identify subtle chemical shifts and improve safety.

“It’s an honor for us to receive this award, especially given its prestige and selectivity,” Gupta said. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of my current and past group members, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them.”

The $450,000 three-year grant will support a graduate student and cover travel expenses.

In 2024, Gupta was honored with the Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in electrokinetics. He was also selected for the prestigious “35 Under 35” award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2023.

That same year Gupta also received a $517,000, five-year National Science Foundation CAREER Award, to study how ions move through porous materials. His research will help design improved porous materials for more efficient desalination and renewable energy storage.

Assistant Professors Kōnane Bay and Ankur Gupta from ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering each received a $450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the Air Force.

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How the tiger really got his stripes

Susan Glairon — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 15:53:35 +0000

How the tiger really got his stripes Susan Glairon Thu, 02/06/2025 - 08:53

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta’s research on diffusiophoresis, where smaller particles move through a fluid, dragging larger particles with them, helps explain how this process may create clear biological patterns in nature, such as those seen on fish or a tiger's stripes.

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Ankur Gupta wins inaugural Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in electrokinetics

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 19:33:05 +0000

Ankur Gupta wins inaugural Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in electrokinetics Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 07/25/2024 - 13:33

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been selected as the winner of the inaugural Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in Electrokinetics, given by the International Electrokinetics Society.

Electrokinetics, which focuses on the study of the movement of particles, ions, or fluids under the influence of an electric field or chemical gradients, has applications in energy storage, environmental technologies and microfluidic devices.

Gupta was given the award for his contribution towards "new insights in diffusiophoresis, including links to Turing patterns, and charge transport in porous energy systems."

"I am honored to receive this award," Gupta said. "It is heartening to be recognized by the electrokinetics community. I would like to thank all the students and postdocs in the group for their hard work, which made this award possible, and extend my gratitude to the mentors and colleagues who nominated me for the award."

The award will be presented on Sept. 18 at the ELKIN meeting in Sevilla, Spain, and as part of that honor, Gupta will give a lecture. In addition to the honorary talk, Gupta will deliver a lecture about the research developed by his ��Ҵ�ý�ƽ�� group, the Laboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinectics.

Johannes Lyklema, the award's namesake, was a passionate supporter of young scientists in the electrokinetics field.

Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta has been selected as the winner of the inaugural Johannes Lyklema Early Career Award in Electrokinetics, given by the International Electrokinetics Society.

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