Helms Research and Teaching

Nanofiber Research

The mechanical properties of nanofibers are important in biology and material science. A major focus of my lab is investigating the mechanics of nanofibers and how they obtain their properties.

We study two types of fibers:


Using and atomic force microscope as well as and other microscopy and light interaction techniques we determine characteristics such as the stiffness, extensibility, size and microstructure of the nanofibers. We then create models of the microstructure to explain the stress-strain relationship and encourage further research.


To learn more about individual projects in the lab check out theresearch tab in the left navigation panel.


Biophysics and Biomaterials

Biophysics is an interdisciplinary field that uses the principles and theories of physics and applies them to biological systems. This interdisciplinary field can take many forms from instrumentation development to statistical mechanics to cell mechanics.

For more information on biophysics here are a few websites you can checkout: