• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
• Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics (Distinction), University of Cambridge, UK
• B.A. Hons. (Cantab) in Physics, University of Cambridge, UK

• 2017 – 2022 Start-up grant from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) for the project “The Character And Control Of The Casimir Effect In Moving Systems.” Grant number: M4082095.110; grant amount: S$400,000. 
• 2020 – 2022 Academic Research Fund (Tier 1) from the Ministry of Education (Singapore) for the project “Quantum Fluctuation-Induced Interactions of Topological Materials.” Grant number: RG160/19(S); grant amount: S$99,900. 
• 2022 – 2023 Research Development Fund from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (China) for the project “Casimir-Polder interaction in nonreciprocal systems.” Grant number: RDF-21-02-005; grant amount: 68,465 RMB.

• 2021              Awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
• 2008             Spring  Named in the “List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students”
• 2007             Fall  Named in the “List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students”
• 2004             Admitted to the Status of Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society Awarded the Rosalind, Lady Carlisle Scholarship and the May Smithels Prize
• 2003             Awarded the Sir Francis Goldsmid Scholarship and the Ida Freund Prize
• 2002             Awarded the Emily Davies Scholarship and the Layla Adib Prize
• 2001             Awarded the Public Service Commission’s Overseas Merit Scholarship (Singapore)
• 2000             Awarded the Prime Minister’s Book Prize (Singapore)

• Theory of Casimir/van der Waals forces, near-field radiative heat transfer, electron and phonon tunneling, atom-surface interactions, topological and two-dimensional materials, polymers and liquid crystal modeling, soft matter electrostatics, elasticity and nanoscale hydrodynamics.

[01] B.-S. Lu*, K. Z Arifa and M. Ducloy, “An excited atom interacting with a Chern insulator: towards a far-field resonant Casimir-Polder repulsion.” The European Physical Journal D 76, 210 (2022)

[02] A. Laliotis, B.-S. Lu, M. Ducloy, and D. Wilkowski*,“Atom-surface physics: a review” Invited review, AVS Quantum Sci. 3, 043501 (2021).

[03] W. Broer, B.-S. Lu, and R. Podgornik*, “Qualitative chirality effects on the Casimir-Lifshitz torque with liquid crystals.” Phys. Rev. Research 3, 033238 (2021)

[04] B.-S. Lu*,  “The Casimir effect in topological matter” (invited review contribution to the special issue of the open-access journal Universe entitled “The Casimir Effect: From a Laboratory Table to the Universe”; Universe 2021, 7(7), 237).

[05] B.-S. Lu*, K. Z. Arifa, and X. R. Hong, “Spontaneous emission of a quantum emitter near a Chern insulator: interplay of time reversal symmetry breaking and van Hove singularity.” Phys. Rev. B 101, 205410 (2020)

[06] W. Broer, J. Y. H. Liow, and B.-S. Lu*,“Maxwell Eigenmode Approach to the Casimir-Lifshitz Torque.” Phys. Rev. A 100, 012514 (2019)

[07] B.-S. Lu*, “van der Waals torque and force between anisotropic topological insulator slabs.” Physical Review B 97, 045427 (2018)

[08] B.-S. Lu*, “Multiscale approach to nematic liquid crystals via statistical field theory.” Physical Review E 96, 022709 (2017)

[09] C. Monahan*, A. Naji, R. Horgan, B.-S. Lu and R. Podgornik, “Hydrodynamic fluctuation-induced forces in confined fluids.” Soft Matter 12, 441 (2016)

[10] M. Ding, B.-S. Lu and X. Xing*, “Charged plate in asymmetric electrolytes: one-loop renormalization of surface charge density and Debye length due to ionic correlations.” Physical Review E 94, 042615 (2016)

[11] M. Ding, Y. Liang, B.-S. Lu and X. Xing*, “Charge renormalization and charge oscillation in asymmetric primitive model of electrolytes.” Journal of Statistical Physics 165, 970 (2016)

[12] B.-S. Lu*, S. P. Gupta, M. Belicka, R. Podgornik* and G. Pabst*. “Modulation of elasticity and interactions in charged lipid multibilayers by monovalent salt.” Langmuir 32, 13546 (2016)

[13] B.-S. Lu* and R. Podgornik. “Van der Waals torque and force between dielectrically anisotropic layered media.” Journal of Chemical Physics 145, 044707 (2016)

[14] D. S. Dean*, B.-S. Lu, A. C. Maggs and R. Podgornik. “Nonequilibrium tuning of the thermal Casimir effect.” Physical Review Letters 116, 240602 (2016)

[15] B.-S. Lu*, A. Naji and R. Podgornik. “Pseudo-Casimir stresses and elasticity of a confined elastomer film.” Soft Matter 12, 4384 (2016)

[16] B.-S. Lu*, A. Naji and R. Podgornik. “Van der Waals interaction between polymers with sequence-specific polarizabilities: Stiff polymers and flexible Gaussian coils.” International Journal of Modern Physics A 31, 1641035 (2016)

[17] B.-S. Lu, D. S. Dean* and R. Podgornik. “Out of equilibrium thermal Casimir effect between Brownian conducting plates.” Europhysics Letters 112, 20001 (2015) - Editor’s Choice

[18] B.-S. Lu* and R. Podgornik*. “Effective interactions between fluid membranes.” Physical Review E 92, 022112 (2015)

[19] B.-S. Lu*, A. Naji and R. Podgornik. “Molecular recognition by van der Waals interaction between polymers with sequence-specific polarizabilities.” Journal of Chemical Physics 142, 214904 (2015)

[20] B.-S. Lu* and X. Xing*. “The correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate.” Physical Review E 89, 032305 (2014)

[21] B.-S. Lu*, F. Ye, X. Xing and P. M. Goldbart. “Statistical physics of isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers I: Structure and correlations at high temperatures.” International Journal of Modern Physics B 27, 1330012 (2013)

[22] X. Xing*, B.-S. Lu, F. Ye and P. M. Goldbart*. “Generalized Deam-Edwards approach to the statistical mechanics of randomly crosslinked systems.” New Journal of Physics 15, 085017 (2013) - Focus Issue on Frontiers of Disorder Physics

[23] B.-S. Lu*, F. Ye, X. Xing and P. M. Goldbart. “Phenomenological theory of isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers.” Physical Review Letters 108, 257803 (2012)

[24] B.-S. Lu, F. Ye, X. Xing, and P. M. Goldbart*, “Polydomain structure and its origins in isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers.” (arXiv:1101.1323)
Invited Presentations

[1] “Van der Waals interaction between anisotropic topological insulators.” Summer school and Workshop on the Casimir Effect: Theory and Applications, June 11- 16, 2018, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.

[2] “van der Waals interaction between anisotropic topological insulators” 16  February 2018. Institut “Jozef Stefan”, Ljubljana.

[3] “van der Waals interaction between anisotropic topological insulators” 13 February 2018. Institute for Physics, University of Rostock.

[4] “van der Waals interaction between anisotropic topological insulators” 22 December 2017. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University.

[5] “Effective interactions between lipid membranes in salt solution” 29 September 2017, Department of the Structure and Constituents of Matter, University of Barcelona.

[6] “Effective interactions between charged lipid membranes in monovalent salt solution” Workshop on “Common Research Themes in Mathematics and Physics”, 2 to 3 March 2017, organized by the Institute for Mathematical Innovation, University of Bath

[7] “Effective interactions between fluid membranes” 2017 International Workshop on Soft Matter and Biophysics Theories, 15 to 17 January 2017, organized by the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

[8] “Fluctuation forces in confined systems” 17 November 2016, Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

[9] “Van der Waals interactions —their role in molecular recognition and self-assembly.”  19 August 2016. Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

[10] “Interactions between fluid membranes” 11 March 2016, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, University of Graz, Austria

[11] “Fluctuation forces in confined systems: fluid membranes and Brownian conductors” 1 February 2016, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany

[12] “Molecular recognition of dsDNA molecules by van der Waals interaction” 10 December 2015, presented at the Slovenian Biophysical Society meeting, Slovenia

[13] “Fluctuation forces à la Casimir and van der Waals” 23 November 2015, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

[14] “Fluctuation pressure of steric fluid membranes” 4 February 2015, Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

[15] “Entropic forces in Nature” 28 August 2014, Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

[16] “Statistical physics of isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers” 26 May 2014, Institut “Jožef Stefan”, Slovenia

[17] “Correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate” 6 February 2014, Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Contributed Talks/Poster Presentations

[1] “Impact of nonreciprocity on electromagnetic fluctuation induced phenomena: the case of an atom near a Chern insulator” Accepted for “Casimir Effect and Heat Transfer Advances” mini-colloquim, CMD2020GEFES, 31 August – 4 September 2020, Spain.

[2] “Van der Waals interaction between anisotropic topological insulator slabs.” Best oral presentation award. Siam Physics Congress, May 21- 23, 2018, Topland Hotel and Convention Center, Phitsanulok, Thailand.

[3] “Van der Waals interaction torque and force between dielectrically anisotropic layered media” Contributed talk at the colloquium “Casimir force: From fundamental science to technology”, CMD26, 4 - 9 September 2016, Groningen, the Netherlands.

[4] “Many-Body Effects in Van der Waals torques between dielectrically anisotropic layered media” Poster presentation at the IAS Focused Program “Casimir and van der Waals Physics: Progress and Prospects”, 25 to 28 April 2016, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China.

[5] “Molecular recognition of dsDNA molecules by van der Waals interaction” Contributed talk to 10th Christmas Biophysics Workshop, 14 to 15 December 2015, San Daniele del Friuli, Italy

[6] “Van der Waals interaction between polymers with sequence-specific polarizabilities” Poster presentation at Les Houches Physics School on “Liquids at Interfaces”, 25 to 30 October 2015, Les Houches, France.

[7] “Van der Waals interaction between polymers with sequence-specific polarizabilities” Contributed talk at the 9th Alexander Friedmann International Seminar on Gravitation and Cosmology and the 3rd Satellite Symposium on the Casimir Effect, 22 to 26 June 2015, Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, Russia.

[8] “Interaction between polarizable polymers with random polarizabilities” Poster presentation at International Workshop on Polyelectrolytes in Chemistry, Biology and Technology, 26 to 28 January 2015, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

[9] “Fluctuation pressure of a membrane subject to hard wall constraints: a self-consistent approach” Contributed talk to 9th Christmas Biophysics Workshop, 15 to 16 December 2014, Buzet, Croatia.

[10] “Statistical physics of isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers” Contributed talk to 13. simpozij fizikov Univerze v Mariboru, 11 to 13 December 2014, Maribor, Slovenia.

[11] “Correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate” Poster presentation at International Symposium on Polyelectrolytes: From Basic Science to Biological Applications – Research Workshop of the Israel Science Foundation, 20 – 23 Jan 2014, Ein Gedi, Israel

[12] “Correlation potential of a test ion near a strongly charged plate” Poster presentation at IAS Program on Frontiers of Soft Matter Physics: from Non-equilibrium Dynamics to Active Matter – International Conference, 13 – 17 Jan 2014, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

[13] “Structure and elasticity of crosslinked polymer blends” Contributed talk to American Physical Society March Meeting 2012, Boston, MA, USA

[14] “Statistical Physics of Isotropic-Genesis Nematic Elastomers” Contributed talk to International Workshop on Physics of Poly-Domain Liquid Crystalline Elastomers – June 9 – 11, 2011.    Shanghai, PRC

[15] “Origins and stability of the polydomain regime in isotropic-genesis nematic elastomers” Contributed talk to APS March Meeting 2011, Dallas, TX, USA

[16] “Glassy correlations and thermal fluctuations in nematic elastomers” Contributed talk to APS March Meeting 2010, Portland, OR, USA

[17] “Orientation correlations trapped into liquid crystalline elastomers” Contributed talk to 5th International Liquid Crystal Elastomers Conference, September 24 – 26, 2009. Kent State University, Ohio, USA

[18] “Glassy correlations in nematic elastomers” Contributed talk to APS March Meeting 2009, Pittsburgh, PA, USA