Alben's research focuses on problems in
biomechanics,
material science, and fluid mechanics. As a graduate student at NYU, Alben worked with Jun Zhang and Michael Shelley in investigating the
dynamics of flexible structures and how such structures can become more
aerodynamic by altering their shape. In this study, experiments visualized a short glass fiber
deforming in
fluid flow, and analysis showed how the fiber can reduce the
drag force exerted by the fluid by changing its shape. This work was published 2002 in
Nature under the title
Drag Reduction Through Self-Similar Bending of a Flexible Body, The paper gave a mathematical model for this
hydrodynamic phenomenon. This result, featured in
MIT's
Technology Review and
Nature, provides a theoretical basis for potential improvements in using bumps for more stable
airplanes, more agile
submarines, and more efficient
turbine blades. In 2007, Alben investigated (with Michael P. Brenner) the self-assembly of 3D structures from flat, elastic sheets. This experiment, featured in
New Scientist, presented a new technique in
nano construction; previously, the transformation of flat sheets to 3D structures was performed by
random formation, but in this study, the addition of biases into the design of the sheets gave the possibility of predicting the resulting shape. ==Honors and awards==