The Effect of Proteome and Lipidome on the Behavior of Membrane Bound Systems in Thermally-Assisted Acoustophoresis

Abstract

I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who have helped me and given me support throughout the completion of my PhD studies. First, to my parents, Mehran and Mohammad, who have always loved and supported me. Of course, I could not have done this without the support and encouragement of other family members including my brother Ali. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Bilal El-Zahab, for guiding me and helping me reach my potential. His technical guidance, support, and encouragement were very important factors in my completing this effort. This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my committee members Dr. Shekhar Bhansali, Dr. Cesar Levy, Dr. Ibrahim Tansel and Dr. Yiding Cao all of whom deserve special thanks for providing support, professionally and personally, along the way. Shervin, Maedeh, Azadeh, Amirali and Arezou I considered whom my best friends at FIU, deserve a special mention. I am indebted to you both for your support and friendship over these years. A very special acknowledgement goes to Ata, who encouraged me and given me unwavering support from the very first days of my Ph.D. studies and even before, and constantly made me feel like I am not alone. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the teachers, professors, and other professionals who either directly trained me, or inspired me in some way. vi