Faculty Members
Faculty Membership
AMSEC's faculty associates include nationally recognized experts in a wide range of disciplines and research areas.
Faculty members are nominated and selected for four-year terms.
Current Membership
Ying Bao
Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry
Research Area: Synthesis and surface modification of nanoparticles.
Robert Berger
Professor of Computational Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry
Research Area: Using computation to design and understand the structural and electronic properties of novel metal oxide materials.
Asmaa Boujibar
Assistant Professor of Planetary Science
Research Area: The formation of terrestrial planets in our Solar System and beyond.
Mark Bussell
Professor of Physical & Materials Chemistry
Research Area: Surface and materials chemistry, with an emphasis on the development of new heterogeneous catalysts for the production of clean fuels.
Susan DeBari
Professor of Geology
Research Area: Use of crystal chemistry and growth zoning patterns to interpret magma origins, storage conditions, and eruption processes.
Steven Emory
Professor of Analytical Chemistry & Director of Scientific Technical Services
Research Area: Characterization and use of novel metal and semiconductor nanomaterials in the development of new ultrasensitive chemical methods of detection and identification.
Milton From
Associate Professor of Physics
Research Area: Magnetic and optical properties of thin films.
Peng Gao
Assistant Professor of Polymer Materials Engineering
Research Area: Performances of bio-based polymer materials; Innovation in Injection Molding Processes and Control Methods; Morphology and Crystallization of Polymer Materials; Upcycling of Plastic Secondary Feedstocks; Manufacturing of Micro- and Nano-scale Surface Features; Performance Enhancements for 3D Printed Products
John Gilbertson
Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Research Area: Scientific problems dealing with global climate change and CO2 utilization.
Deborah Glosser
Assistant Professor of Engineering
Research Area: Thermodynamics of materials, heat transfer, sustainable cement
Alia Khan
Associate Professor of Environmental Science
Research Area: Biogeochemistry; hydrochemistry; black carbon and light absorbing aerosols; snow algae; snow/ice albedo; spectral geophysics; carbon cycling in polar and alpine environments; snow and glacial hydrology; climate impacts
Tim Kowalczyk
Professor of Physical and Computational Chemistry
Research Area: Organic materials that combine light-absorbing and electrically conducting components in a single package.
Mike Larsen
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Research Area: Molecular structure of polymers to enable new applications.
Nicole Larson
Professor of Polymer Materials Engineering
Research Area: New product development and testing.
Janelle Leger
Dean, College of Science & Engineering and Professor of Physics
Research Area: Organic and hybrid materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices including light-emitting diodes, solar cells, memory cells, and transistors.
Stephen McDowall
Professor of Mathematics
Research Area: Inverse problems in partial differential equations.
G McGrew
Instructor of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, Materials Science
Research Area: Organometallic chemistry; catalysis; behavior of asymmetric organolithium compounds; chemistry education
John Misasi
Associate Professor of Polymer Materials Engineering
Research Area: Scalable synthesis of recyclable thermosetting polymers for composite matrices, with a focus on understanding network material properties and degradation pathways and products.
Sean Mulcahy
Associate Professor of Geology
Research Area: Mineral chemistry and geochronology to understand how plate boundaries and mountain belts form and evolve.
Amanda Murphy
Director, Professor of Materials & Organic Chemistry
Research Area: Broadly interested in tailoring the molecular structure of conjugated organic polymers in order to control the fundamental properties of the bulk materials.
Gregory O'Neil
Professor of Organic Chemistry
Research Area: Enantioselective synthesis of biologically and environmentally compelling natural products that includes development and target-oriented synthesis projects; algal biofuel-related research.
David Patrick
Vice Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School & Professor of Chemistry
Research Area: Surface and materials chemistry, ordered molecular systems, and organic thin films.
Mark Peyron
Associate Professor of Polymer Materials Engineering
Research Area: Potentially biodegradable polymers and identifying methods for assessing the extent of degradation (based upon changes in mechanical properties, polymer chain length and composition, etc.) as well as developing new polymers capable of more readily decaying in soil, composting, and marine environments.
Armin Rahmani
Associate Professor of Physics
Research Area: Theoretical quantum condensed matter physics and quantum information processing.
Melissa Rice
Associate Professor of Geology & Physics
Research Area: Planetary geology, remote sensing, robotic space exploration.
David Rider
Professor of Materials Chemistry and Engineering & Design
Research Area: The design, synthesis and self-assembly of organic and inorganic semiconductors for applications in nanotechnology and materials science.
Andreas Riemann
Professor of Physics
Research Area: Fabrication and characterization of nanostructures and ultrathin films on surfaces.
Mai Sas
Geochemistry Research Associate
Research Area: Volcanic rock microanalysis to decipher magma origins. LA-ICP-MS specialist.
Margaret Scheuermann
Associate Professor of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry
Research Area: Organometallic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, synthesis, characterization, reactivity, mechanism, catalysis.
Takele Seda
Professor of Physics
Research Area: Magnetic and electronic properties of iron bearing materials and minerals.
Peter M.A. Sherwood
Affiliate Professor of Chemistry & Physics
Research Area: Surface analysis (especially X ray photoelectron spectroscopy) of materials with a particular interest in electrode surfaces, corrosion systems, and carbon fiber and composite surfaces.
Ruth Sofield
Professor of Environmental Sciences
Research Area: Bioavailability, freshwater and marine ecotoxicity, and chemistry of environmental contaminants, including metals, PAHs, and Contaminants of Emerging Concern.
James Vyvyan
Professor of Organic Chemistry
Research Area: The broad field of synthetic chemistry with detailed analysis of NMR spectra to characterize new compounds and assign relative stereochemistry.
Kristina Walowski
Assistant Professor of Geology
Research Area: Magmatic processes from magma reservoir evolution and eruption dynamics, to mantle melting and the chemical evolution of Earth's interior.