(2dn) Developing High-Throughput Tools for Functional Macromolecular Design

Polymeric materials have become ubiquitous in modern life, in applications ranging from everyday items, such as films for food storage, to critical biomedical devices. Macromolecular samples are inherently complex and characterized by their molecular weight distribution, monomer segment distribution, chemistry, and architecture; together, this more local design dictates the macroscopic and microscopic properties of the polymer of interest. To gain understanding and design rules for these complicated macromolecules, it is essential to move toward more high-throughput data generation and data-driven learning to probe how molecular design affect key physical properties.

Protein-based systems are traditionally much more controlled, as each protein can be produced with perfect sequence definition, allowing for highly ordered intramolecular structures. Bringing together the complexity of polymer-based systems with the well-developed biosynthetic toolbox will allow for progress in both areas. My group will focus on the development of high-throughput tools to generate protein- and polymer-based materials, which can be rapidly tested and iterated to affect a number of application spaces, spanning biomaterials, plastic recycling, and structural materials. Once synthesized, their properties will be probed with multiscale experimental techniques, including X-ray and neutron scattering and mechanical testing. By harnessing a combination of systematic materials design improvements, I will establish the connection of macroscopic properties to fundamental polymer physics principles with the opportunity for the integration of machine learning-based design to target specific application areas. Initial directions in my research program include development of molecular weight-disperse protein materials, sequence-disperse gels for transport of small molecules, and flow-based systems for the degradation of existing polymers.

Selected Publications:

Morris, M.A., Bataglioli, R.A., Mai, D.J., Paloni, J.M., Yang, Y.J., Schmitz, Z., Mills, C.E., Huske, A., Ding, E., Olsen, B.D., “Development of a High-Throughput Screening Platform for Protein Expression,” in revision.

Morris, M.A., Mills, C.E., Paloni, J.M, Miller, E.A., Sikes, H.A., Olsen, B.D., “High-Throughput Screening of a Streptavidin Binder Library in Self-Assembled Solid Films,” in preparation.

Bertuzzi, D.L, Morris, M.A., Braga, C.B., Olsen, B.D., Ornelas, C., “Synthesis of a Series of Folate-Terminated Dendrimer-b-PNIPAM Diblock Copolymers: Soft Nanoelements That Self-Assemble into Thermo- and pH-Responsive Spherical Nanocompounds,” Macromolecules 55 (7), 2022, 2924-2939

Yang, Y.J., Mai, D.J., Li, S., Morris, M.A., Olsen, B.D., “Tuning Selective Transport of Biomolecules based on the Site-Mutated Nucleoporin Hydrogels for the Next Generation of Biopurification,” Biomacromolecules, 22 (2), 2021, 289-298.

Morris, M.A., Seung, S.H., Ketkar, P.M., Nieuwendaal, R.C., Dura, J.A., Epps, T.H., III, “Enhanced Conductivity via Homopolymer-Rich Pathways in Block Polymer-Blended Electrolytes,” Macromolecules, 52 (24), 2019, 9682-9692.

Gartner, T.E, III*, Morris, M.A.*, Shelton, C.K.*, Dura, J.A., Epps, T.H., III, “Quantifying Lithium Salt and Polymer Density Distributions in Nanostructured Ion-Conducting Block Polymers,” Macromolecules, 51 (5), 2018, 1917-1926. (*equal contribution)

Morris, M.A., An, H., Lutkenhaus, J.L., Epps, T.H., III, “Harnessing the Power of Plastics: Nanostructured Polymer Systems in Lithium-ion Batteries,” ACS Energy Letters, 2 (8), 2017, 1919-1936.

Morris, M.A.*, Gartner, T.E., III*, Epps, T.H., III, “Tuning Block Polymer Structure, Properties, and Processability for the Design of Efficient Nanostructured Materials Systems,” Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 218, 2017, 1600513. (Front cover image) (*equal contribution)

Teaching Experience:

Fraser and Shirley Russell Teaching Fellow, Chemical Process Dynamics and Control (CHEG 401) (undergraduate core course), University of Delaware, Fall 2018

Guest Lecturer, “Static Light Scattering” Introduction to Polymers (CHEG/MSEG 630), University of Delaware, Fall 2015, 2017, and 2018 (5 lectures total).

Teaching Assistant, Introduction to Polymers (CHEG/MSEG 630), University of Delaware, Fall 2015.

Teaching Assistant, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics I (CHEG231) (undergraduate core course), University of Delaware, Fall 2014.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Organic Chemistry Laboratory (Ch/ChE9) (undergraduate core course), California Institute of Technology, Spring 2013.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics II (ChE63b) (undergraduate core course), California Institute of Technology, Spring 2011.

Teaching Interests:

As a formally trained chemical engineer, I am excited and prepared to teach core courses, including thermodynamics, process dynamics and controls, transport phenomena, and kinetics and reaction engineering, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. At the University of Delaware, I was awarded the Fraser and Shirley Russell Teaching Fellowship, in which I was able to collaborate with Prof. Eric Furst and Prof. Abraham Lenhoff to co-teach Process Dynamics and Controls, a senior-level core chemical engineering class. Together, we designed all aspects of the course; we each prepared and delivered lectures, crafted homework assignments and exam questions, and assigned final grades. My experience as an instructor for a core chemical engineering course taught me how to approach topics students found difficult, which will aid me as I design course curriculum more independently. As a teaching assistant for core undergraduate thermodynamics courses, first at Caltech and later at UD, I discovered how to effectively connect students’ understanding of the course material to the world around them, taking examples from both academic and industrial settings.

In addition to core chemical engineering courses, I will develop and teach electives in polymer science and engineering, advanced characterization techniques in soft matter, soft matter/polymer physics, and/or biomaterials. In my teaching, I aim to implement a combination of teaching tools and assessments, ranging from lectures and exams to research-based design projects and hands-on activities, to reach a diverse student body. I am deeply committed to supporting and encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue science and engineering as both a mentor and teacher. I believe it is my responsibility as an educator to continue to push for anti-racism in science and engineering to support the development of early-career researchers from historically-underrepresented backgrounds, and I am dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive research environment that will allow all students to thrive.