Jared Carpenter

Jared is currently working within the Morris lab.

Plants transmit nutrients and signaling molecules via their vascular system. To successfully carry out such transport processes, plants must overcome a number of physical challenges. For instance, the transpiration-driven xylem system, transporting water from root to shoot, operates under absolute negative pressure. This negative absolute pressure is a metastable state which can induce nanobubble formation that is detrimental to the plant.

Nanobubbles are bubbles that are usually between 50-200 nanometres in diameter that have the potential to form an embolism in the plant. Jared’s research is in the area of biological fluid dynamics and he is currently modelling the stability of these nanobubbles given some physical parameters. Also, the effect of surfactants on the stability of nanobubbles is being investigated.

This work is being done in collaboration with Professor Mark Blyth from the University of East Anglia.