Instability and pattern selection in confined active nematic fluids

ctive nematic fluids exhibit instability transitions strongly conditioned by confinement geometry. The project investigates the role of boundary conditions and domain geometry in the onset of instabilities and flow pattern selection, extending results obtained for annular domains and cylindrical surfaces. Using stability and bifurcation analysis, asymptotic methods, and numerical techniques, the project will study how curvature and geometric confinement modify instability thresholds. The goal is to build a unified theoretical framework for controlling emergent patterns, with applications in confined biological systems and active microfluidic devices.