He earned his Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of Pittsburgh and has worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Carnegie Mellon University, Florida State University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and arrived at MSU in 2009. Ashwin's research lies in the area of theoretical and experimental fluid mechanics and he is also interested in science education and `creativity' in the sciences. He hopes to find ways to make physics, especially at the introductory level, more exciting and attractive through his participation in the Engaged Fellows program. Dirk Vanderklein, Associate Professor, Biology & Molecular Biology