Maniya Maleki

Education

Dr. Maleki earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic
Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran (2002–2006), with a dissertation entitled Some
Examples of Visco-Capillary Phenomena. She received her B.Sc. in Physics from Sharif
University of Technology, Tehran, Iran (1996–2001). Following her Ph.D., she
completed a postdoctoral fellowship at PMMH, ESPCI, Paris, France (2006–2007),
where she worked on Pattern Formation in Suspensions and Wetting Films of Complex
Fluids. She joined IASBS as an Assistant Professor of Physics in 2007 and was
promoted to Associate Professor in 2021. She was a Visiting Researcher at the
University of Pennsylvania from 2023 to 2025. In August 2025, she joined the University
of Northern Iowa as an Assistant Professor of Physics.

Research Interests

Dr. Maleki’s research investigates how complex fluids and particulate systems self-
organize and evolve under various physical constraints. Her work spans granular flows,
colloids and suspensions, surface growth phenomena, and active matter. She is
particularly interested in how particle shape, interfacial forces, and substrate
interactions govern pattern formation, collective dynamics, and emergent behaviors in
soft matter systems. By combining precision experiments with quantitative analysis, her
research aims to uncover the fundamental principles behind these processes and their
relevance in natural and engineered systems.
Motivated students from physics, engineering, chemistry, or related disciplines who are
passionate about experimental research in soft matter are welcome to join her group.