Science and Cooking: From Chemistry to Haute Cuisine

Dr. Pia Sörensen serves as Senior Preceptor in Chemical Engineering and Applied Materials at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, where she directs the innovative Science and Cooking program. Her academic foundation includes a bachelor's degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University and a PhD in chemical biology from Harvard University. As lead instructor of the popular general education course "Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science," she collaborates with world-renowned chefs to demonstrate scientific principles through culinary applications. Her teaching portfolio includes developing novel courses like "Flavor Molecules of Food Fermentation: Exploration and Inquiry" and leading the transformation of traditional courses into successful online formats, including Science&CookingX, one of EdX's largest courses. She has authored several influential works, including the bestseller "Science and Cooking: Physics Meets Food, from Homemade to Haute Cuisine" and two volumes on online chemistry education. Her research interests span from science education innovation to food chemistry and fermentation processes, while her public lecture series regularly draws hundreds of attendees and has garnered up to 160,000 views per lecture online.

Dr. Michael P. Brenner serves as the Michael F. Cronin Professor of Applied Mathematics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, where he has made groundbreaking contributions across multiple scientific disciplines since 2001. After earning his BS in physics and mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania and PhD under Leo Kadanoff at the University of Chicago, he began his career at MIT before joining Harvard. His research spans an extraordinary range of scientific challenges, from fluid mechanics and materials science to biological systems and atmospheric chemistry. He is particularly known for his work on droplet dynamics, sonoluminescence, and self-assembly of materials. As an educator, he co-created Harvard's popular "Science and Cooking" course, which innovatively teaches scientific principles through culinary applications. His scientific excellence has earned him numerous prestigious honors, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Ledlie Prize, and selection as a Simons Investigator in Physics. Currently, he leads research initiatives combining traditional applied mathematics with machine learning to accelerate scientific discovery, while maintaining his commitment to understanding fundamental questions in physics and engineering, from the aerodynamics of whale flippers to the behavior of fungal spores.

David A. Weitz serves as the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Harvard University, where he directs the Experimental Soft Condensed Matter Group and previously led the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. His groundbreaking research spans soft matter physics, microfluidics, and biophysics, studying materials easily deformed by external forces or thermal fluctuations. As a master educator, he co-developed Harvard's popular "Science and Cooking" course, making complex physics accessible through culinary applications. His pioneering contributions include developing diffusing wave spectroscopy for studying opaque materials, advancing microrheology techniques for cellular studies, and revolutionizing microfluidics for applications ranging from drug discovery to COVID testing. His innovations have led to at least 25 startup companies and 65 patents, while his scientific impact is reflected in his remarkable h-index of 213. Beyond research, his leadership extends to co-directing the BASF Advanced Research Initiative and membership in prestigious institutions including the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Royal Society of Chemistry. His group combines fundamental physics with technological applications, using techniques from video analysis and light scattering to rheology and laser tweezing to probe the relationship between microscopic structure and bulk properties in both synthetic and biological materials.