{"692127":{"#nid":"692127","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tiny Motors, Big Structures: Kolvin Awarded NSF CAREER Grant for Soft Materials Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOur bodies build remarkably complex structures from tiny protein fibers, forming tissues, tendons, muscles, and organs. Scientists can recreate many of these biological building blocks in the lab, but controlling how they organize themselves into larger assemblies remains one of the most fundamental challenges in soft materials research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/itamar-kolvin\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EItamar Kolvin\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E is aiming to solve that problem using molecular motors powered by tiny chemical reactions, giving researchers a new way to guide how fibers assemble into larger structures in the lab. The work could open the door to advances in wound healing, artificial tissues, and organ repair.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ENow, Kolvin, an assistant professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/physics.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Physics\u003C\/a\u003E, has been\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/awardsearch\/show-award?AWD_ID=2541531\u0022\u003Eawarded a $747,000 CAREER grant\u003C\/a\u003E from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support this research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program is a five-year grant designed to help promising researchers establish a foundation for a lifetime of leadership in their field. Known as CAREER awards, the grants are NSF\u2019s most prestigious funding for early-career faculty.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThe CAREER award is a crucial opportunity to push this research forward,\u201d says Kolvin. \u201cNSF plays a critical role in advancing science, and we wouldn\u2019t be able to do our work without their support.\u0026nbsp;I\u2019m incredibly grateful for their commitment to advancing science.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMicroscopic Motorboats\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile the body naturally assembles these fibers, their small size makes protein filaments difficult to control in a lab setting. Without guidance, the materials grow randomly, creating weak and disorganized structures. But Kolvin has found that exposing the filaments to controlled fluid flows can help them grow in predictable ways.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThat\u2019s where Kolvin\u2019s molecular motors come in. He attaches the motors to rod-shaped particles called microtubules, transforming the otherwise inert particles into microscopic motorboats. Powered by chemical reactions, the microtubules move through the fluid and generate tiny currents. Those currents guide the suspended protein filaments, directing how they align and assemble.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ELike sticks in a stream, the current helps the protein filaments align with the flow around them. When millions of filaments interact in this way, they can form bundles, clusters, and large-scale networks.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cHow do these rods align, when do they tangle, and when do they form networks?\u201d Kolvin asks. \u201cI\u2019m interested in learning how we may be able to predict and ultimately control that behavior in order to direct the ways these structures can grow.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFlexible Filaments\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EKolvin\u2019s earlier work has already shown success with actin, the filaments responsible for building muscles. When suspended in fluid, the molecular motors helped actin fibers bundle together and form a membrane-like structure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhile that work demonstrated that molecular motors could influence assembly, Kolvin now aims to create a more dynamic, tunable system. Actin is limited, he explains, because of its simple rod-like shape, lack of rigidity, and because its bonds become permanent once the fibers bundle together.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EHe believes the more rigid, helix-shaped flagella in this new work will offer a wider range of opportunities. \u201cThe shape and rigidity of flagella expand the variety of patterns they can form,\u201d he explains. \u201cThese new structures could have different applications.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EToward Tunable Materials\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThrough molecular engineering, the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/ikolvinlab\/\u0022\u003EKolvin Lab\u003C\/a\u003E creates flagella that are temperature-sensitive, meaning that they can make and unmake bonds at different temperatures. This property might be key in creating a system that could be assembled and disassembled on demand.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis could make it possible to tune materials in real-time by warming or cooling the system,\u0022 Kolvin explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBy combining molecular motors with temperature-sensitive protein fibers, Kolvin aims to create systems that can be predictably shaped, assembled, and disassembled on demand, opening the door to new possibilities for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe work could also help answer long-standing problems in physics about active matter and collective behavior, revealing how flow and shape influence the way millions of microscopic building blocks align, pack, and assemble into complex materials.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis CAREER award provides an exciting opportunity to pursue new ideas and tackle difficult, far-reaching questions,\u201d Kolvin says. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to seeing where this research leads in the years ahead.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThe grant will support Kolvin\u2019s research using molecular motors powered by chemical reactions to direct how protein fibers assemble into larger structures in the lab. The work could open the door to advances in wound healing, artificial tissues, and organ repair.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The work could open the door to advances in wound healing, artificial tissues, and organ repair."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-08-31 16:26:21","changed_gmt":"2026-08-31 19:06:53","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-08-31T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-08-31T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679224":{"id":"679224","type":"image","title":"Itamar Kolvin","body":"\u003Cp\u003EItamar Kolvin\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1770657296","gmt_created":"2026-02-09 17:14:56","changed":"1770657296","gmt_changed":"2026-02-09 17:14:56","alt":"Itamar Kolvin","file":{"fid":"263357","name":"Itamar-Kolvin.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":154592,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/02\/09\/Itamar-Kolvin_0.jpeg?itok=e0T6C0ih"}}},"media_ids":["679224"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"39471","name":"Materials"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EWriter \/ Editor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}