Hansen grew up in tropical Indonesia before coming to the U.S. to train in chemical engineering in the winter landscape of Western Massachusetts. His mixed interests in both the physics and biology of soft matter arose through work on polyelectrolyte-micelle complexes with Prof. Sarah Perry and protein-polyelectrolyte coacervates with Prof. Allie Obermeyer at Columbia. He is now exploring how condensate co-localization controls enzyme kinetics in metabolic reactions, co-advised between the Brangwynne Lab and Prof. José Avalos.
Outside the lab, he loves brewing coffee, beer-tasting, and reading about international politics. He is also always on the lookout for authentic French crêpes, as well as Thai and Indian restaurants around Princeton.