(2v) Interacting Polymer Mixtures for Health and the Environment

Research Interests: I am broadly interested in complex mixtures of soft materials, particularly melt blends and multi-component polymer solutions. While classical polymer physics has had remarkable success in the development and theoretical description of polymeric materials, in part by capturing the ensemble-averaged behavior of stochastic fluctuating chains, the complexity found in health and the environment requires renewed focus and novel approaches. To understand those natural systems, modify their properties, and ultimately, design innovative technologies inspired by their principles, it becomes important for us to consider the specific interactions between species and capture the resultant coupling between their monomeric patterning, chain conformations, microscopic structure, physical properties, and processing pathways. Overall, my group will seek to tune material compatibilization during their functional lifetime. We aim to advance knowledge of (1) molecular individualism, particularly how sequence definition can be used to modulate chain shape and compatibilize immiscible mixtures, (2) charge complexation and ordering, principally in inhomogeneous dielectric environments, and (3) associative or “sticky” polymers, with intense focus on human mucosa subjected to infection or allergens. The gained knowledge will be leveraged to improve polymer recycling, design advanced functional materials, and develop new therapeutic approaches. We will rely on a holistic approach uniting synthesis of model systems, experimental characterization, simulations, and development of analytical theories.

Teaching Interests: A critical part of teaching in higher education includes the mentorship of students in their critical thinking, research, and career objectives. I plan to make that mentorship a priority. I have extensive teaching experience in polymer science, soft materials, and statistical mechanics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including lecturing, marking, and course development. From those experiences, I have become a proponent of cyclic learning, wherein the material is presented multiple times, conceptually on the first pass, then following with the mathematic underpinnings, and finally exploring applications and practical examples. Offering students the opportunity to make connections, helps to formulate a common starting point in the fundamental first principles unify the chemical engineering curriculum. As a faculty, I would be comfortable teaching introductory and advanced core chemical engineering courses, particularly thermodynamics/statistical mechanics. I would also be particularly interested in teaching a graduate course in polymer physics with a focus on thermodynamics and scaling relationships, drawing on contemporary research. For undergraduates, I am interested in teaching a course on complex fluids and formulations, giving a broad survey on surfactants, colloids, micelles, polymers; their interactions; and how processing produces in vivo materials and commercial products. Finally, I would be interested in teaching a course on biofluids (e.g., blood, sweat, mucus) the oft ignored biomaterials in human health, with a focus on connecting basic science to clinical practice.