Sidney Nagel works in the Soft and Biological Physics group at the University of Chicago, Illinois.
He has developed theories on “jamming” to explain the behaviour of sand and traffic flow, and discovered phenomena concerning droplets and splashes.
Nagel’s research often results in aesthetically pleasing visual representations, which he says are as important to his work as the science itself.
His insights include explaining the classification of materials into ordered and disordered states, discovering phenomena relevant to drops breaking free, and the unusual behaviour of granular materials.
His photography, used in scientific demonstrations, has been exhibited in museums and is as important to him as the science behind the images.
