AM Seminar: Analysis of Flagellar Gait Changes Across Fluid Viscosities

Presenter: Dr. Kelli Gutierrez, CSU Monterey Bay

Description: Many microswimmers propel themselves using flagella, which are thin, threadlike filaments that beat in a periodic wavelike motion. The flagellar beat emerges from the coupled interactions between the surrounding fluid and the active and passive responses of the flagellum. Previous studies have observed the qualitative shape of the flagellar waveform and the swimming speed to change with fluid viscosity. We quantify changes in the flagellar waveforms of \textit{Chlamydomonas reinhardtii} in response to changes in fluid viscosity using (i) shape mode analysis and (ii) a full swimmer simulation to analyze how shape changes affect the swimming speed. By decomposing the gait into the time‑independent mean shape and the time‑varying stroke, we find that the time-independent mean shape changes substantially in response to viscosity, while the changes in the time-varying stroke are more subtle.

About the speaker: Dr. Gutierrez received her Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from UC Davis. She joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics Department at Cal State Monterey Bay in 2026. Her research interests include mathematical biology, fluid dynamics, and applied mathematics.

This seminar is hosted by Applied Mathematics.