Shima Parsa Headshot

Shima Parsa

Assistant Professor

School of Physics and Astronomy
College of Science
shima.parsa@rit.edu
Office Location
CAR-2128

Shima Parsa

Assistant Professor

School of Physics and Astronomy
College of Science

Education

PostDoc, Harvard University; Ph.D. Wesleyan University

Bio

Shima Parsa is an assistant professor of Physics at RIT. She is an experimental Soft Matter Physicist and her research spans from the flow of complex fluids in porous media to sedimentation in Marshland. She studies the small-scale dynamics of multi-phase fluids and investigates their impact on large-scale transport, see research website at https://people.rit.edu/spmsps/. 

Shima joined RIT in 2019 after her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard in Applied Physics studying  Soft Matter physics and microscale phenomena. She completed her Ph.D. in Physics at Wesleyan in 2013.

shima.parsa@rit.edu
Personal Links
Personal Website
ORCID
Google Scholar
X (formerly Twitter)
LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise
fluid mechanics
soft matter
optics
oil recovery
emulsion physics
porous media
soft lithography
chaos
non-newtonian fluids

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Izaguirre, Michael and Shima Parsa. "Emergence of preferential flow paths and intermittent dynamics in emulsion transport in porous media." Soft Matter. 20 (2024): 3585-3592. Print.
Datta, Sujit S, et al. "Lab on a chip for a low-carbon future." Lab on a chip 23. (2023): 1358-1375. Print.
Lima, Nicolle, et al. "Foam formation during drainage of a surfactant solution in a microfluidic porous medium model." Nature 13. (2023): 21802. Print.
Izaguirre, Michael, Luke Nearhood, and Shima Parsa. "Quantifying Uniform Droplet Formation in Microfluidics Using Variational Mode Decomposition." Fluids 7. 5 (2022): 174. Print.
Parsa, Shima, et al. "Unexpected scaling of interstitial velocities with permeability due to polymer retention in porous media." Phys. Rev. Fluids 6. (2021): L082302. Print.
Zhang, Liyuan, et al. "Core–Shell Nanohydrogels with Programmable Swelling for Conformance Control in Porous Media." ACS Applied Materials & Interface 12. 30 (2020): 34217–34225. Print.
Parsa, Shima, et al. "Origin of Anomalous Polymer-induced Fluid Displacement in Porous Media." Phys Rev Fluids 5. (2020): 222001. Print.
Alim, Karen, et al. "Local Pore Size Correlations Determine Flow Distributions in Porous Media." Phys Rev Letters 119. (2017): 144501. Print.
Diba, Mani, et al. "Highly Elastic and Self-Healing Composite Colloidal Gels." Advanced Materials. (2017): 1604672. Print.
Cole, Brendan C., et al. "Methods for Measuring the Orientation and Rotation Rate of 3D-printed Particles in Turbulence." JoVE. (2016): 53599. Web.
Marcus, Guy G, et al. "Measurements of the solid-body rotation of anisotropic particles in 3D turbulence." New Journal of Physics 16. (2014): 102001. Print.
Parsa, Shima and Greg A Voth. "Inertial Range Scaling in Rotations of Long Rods in Turbulence." Phy Rev Letters 112. (2014): 24501. Print.
Carroll, Nick J, et al. "Measurement of Flow Velocity and Inference of Liquid Viscosity in a Microfluidic Channel by Fluorescence Photobleaching." Langmuir 30. 16 (2014): 4868–4874. Print.
Parsa, Shima, et al. "Rotation Rate of Rods in Turbulent Fluid Flow." Phy Rev Letters. 109 (2012): 134501. Print.
Parsa, Shima, et al. "Rotation and Alignment of Rods in 2D Flow." Physics of Fluids 23. (2011): 43302. Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Parsa, Shima. "Polymer for permeability modification in porous media." Microfluidics and Energy Symposium. University of Toronto and Rice University. Houston, TX. 29 Apr. 2021. Keynote Speech.

Currently Teaching

IMGS-799
Imaging Science Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in their graduate studies.
IMGS-890
Research & Thesis
1 - 6 Credits
Doctoral-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
IMGS-891
Continuation of Thesis
0 Credits
Continuation of Thesis
MTSE-790
Research & Thesis
1 - 9 Credits
Dissertation research by the candidate for an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
MTSE-793
Continuation of Thesis
0 Credits
Continuation of Thesis
PHYS-150
Introduction to Special Relativity
3 Credits
In this course students will learn aspects of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity including time dilation, length contraction, Lorentz transformations, velocity transformations, relativistic Doppler effect, issues with simultaneity, and relativistic expressions for energy and momentum.
PHYS-315
Experiments in Modern Physics
3 Credits
In this course, students perform experiments representative of the foundation of modern quantum physics. These include investigations of wave particle duality, and the earliest of quantum mechanical models as well as measurements of fundamental constants. Experiments typically include electron diffraction, the photoelectric effect, optical diffraction and interference, atomic spectroscopy, charge-to-mass ratio of an electron, and blackbody radiation. This class teaches basic instrumentation techniques as well as data reduction and analysis. Students are expected to keep a laboratory notebook and present results in a journal-style paper.
PHYS-790
Graduate Research & Thesis
1 - 4 Credits
Graduate-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
PHYS-791
Continuation of Thesis
0 Credits
Graduate-level research by the candidate on an appropriate topic as arranged between the candidate and the research advisor.
PHYS-799
Physics Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for a graduate-level student.

In the News

  • April 9, 2025

    Shima Parsa is shown in a lab jacket next to text stating her name and the title of her award.

    Parsa honored with NSF CAREER Award

    Shima Parsa, assistant professor in RIT’s School of Physics and Astronomy, received an NSF CAREER Award to advance her research in soft matter physics.

  • August 20, 2024

    human hands are shown putting a clear disk with blue wires extending from it on to a machine.

    New Ph.D. programs welcome students this fall

    The university’s two newest Ph.D. programs in cognitive science and physics offer diverse research opportunities for students and help them gain the skills and abilities needed to analyze data and grasp complex concepts. The new programs bring RIT’s total doctoral programs to 15.

  • May 20, 2024

    porus media is shown as rocks and red jelly like substance bubbles.

    RIT research examines spread and flow of soil contaminants

    Understanding how contaminants in porous materials flow and are transported is key in the fields of industry, medicine, and environmental science. A two person team in the School of Physics and Astronomy recently had their research on the topic published and featured on the cover of Soft Matter, a journal by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

More News