Sunghwan (Sunny) Jung

Associate Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Sunghwan (Sunny) Jung is an associate professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. He received his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Texas at Austin, and then became a postdoctoral researcher at the Courant Institute at NYU & a math instructor at MIT.

Dr. Jung’s research interest is to investigate various physics and biology problems emerging from the interaction of biological systems with surrounding environments. His group has integrated mathematical modeling, fluid dynamics, and physical & biological experiments to understand animal behaviors and plant physiology for better functions and performance. Some examples include how animals drink, how birds dive into water, how animals jump out of water, how plant spores are dispersed, how raindrops impact biological surfaces, and more.

Dr. Jung has trained students with diverse backgrounds to acquire knowledge and skills integrate and perform multidisciplinary research rather than learning skills in narrow fields of interest.

Education

2005 Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin. Physics

2001 M.S. Pohang University of Science and Technology. Physics

1999 B.A. Sogang University. Chemical Engineering

Recent Research

Dr. Jung’s research interest is to investigate mechanics problems emerging from the interaction of deformable interfaces with surrounding fluids. Dr. Jung has established his own research group to investigate both experiments and theory at the interface of physics, mathematics, and biology. Specifically, his group focuses on two areas: biofluid and nonlinear dynamics. Research efforts are dedicated (1) to better understand how biological systems interact with and harness fluidic surroundings, (2) to explore the nonlinear dynamics of interactions through various interfaces, and (3) to shed light on optimal engineering design using our understanding. To explore and understand the underlying physics of these problems, Dr. Jung has sought to develop and utilize various mathematical models and new experimental designs.

Awards & Honors

NSF Mid-Career Award (2021)

ASME-FEDSM Video Presentation award (2021)

College of Engineering Faculty Fellow, Virginia Tech (2017)

APS-Division of Fluid Dynamics: Milton Van Dyke Award (2015)

Leader in Research, BEAM department, Virginia Tech (2015)

Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Virginia Tech (2015)

Visiting Professorship, ESPCI, France (2013)

ACS - Doctoral New Investigator Award (2012)

APS-Division of Fluid Dynamics: Milton Van Dyke Award (2011)

Visiting Professorship, ESPCI, France (2013)

Outstanding Dissertation Award, Physics Department, University of Texas at Austin (2005)

Donald D. Harrington Endowment Fellowships, University of Texas at Austin, (2004)

Courses Taught

BEE 3310: Bio-Fluid Mechanics
BEE 3310: Bio-Fluid Mechanics
BEE 9900: Doctoral-Level Thesis Research
BEE 5951: Master of Engineering Design Project
SYSEN 5900: Systems Engineering Design Project
BEE 4990: Undergraduate Research
BEE 4980: Undergraduate Teaching

Contact Information

222 Riley-Robb
Ithaca, NY 14853

(607) 255-5798

sj737 [at] cornell.edu

- Bio-Inspired Fluid Lab

Sunghwan (Sunny) in the news

News

March 9, 2022

Animal noses inspire new mask, air filter designs

A new 3D-printable mask design, inspired by animal noses, promises easy breathing for users while maintaining similar levels of protection against pathogens found in N95 and surgical masks.

Biological and Environmental Engineering
Animals
Biology

A moth with water splashing off of its wing

Multimedia

News

June 8, 2020

Armor on butterfly wings protects against heavy rain

For moths and butterflies, getting hit by a fast-falling raindrop is like a bowling ball falling on a person. Now, new research shows how natural surfaces break up the raindrops to deflect potential damage.

Biological and Environmental Engineering
Plants
Biology