Members

Marcus Foston’s research  seeks to develop innovative and novel routes to exploit and utilize lignocellulosic biomass, taking advantage of materials involved in industries such as agriculture, papermaking, and forestry products.

Fuzhong Zhang’s research focuses on developing synthetic biology tools and systems for the sustainable production of structurally-defined chemicals and high-performance materials. Current research projects include: (1) engineering microbial metabolic dynamics and heterogeneity; (2) engineering metabolic pathways to produce structure-defined biofuels and chemicals; (3) developing microbial factories to produce high-performance materials.

Guy Genin studies interfaces and adhesion in nature, physiology, and engineering. His current research focuses on interfaces between tissues at the attachment of tendon to bone, between cells in cardiac fibrosis, and between protein structures at the periphery of plant and animal cells.

Arpita Bose’s lab studies microbial metabolisms and their influence on biogeochemical cycling using an interdisciplinary approach. She seeks to generate new ways of addressing issues such as the energy crisis, pollution, biofouling, and sustainability.

Professor Christenson studies American political behavior and quantitative methods. He is involved in helping us to understand and identify barriers in the adoption of genetically engineered, eco-friendly materials in textiles.

Professor Garnett’s main research interest is developing new Bayesian machine-learning techniques for sequential decision making under uncertainty. He is particularly interested in active learning—especially with atypical objectives—Bayesian optimization, intelligent approaches to approximate Bayesian inference, and Bayesian quadrature. He is also interested in learning problems involving large-scale graph data.

My research expertise is on computational materials science and mechanics, emphasizing two areas: (1) nanostructured polymeric materials and (2) biomolecular and bioinspired materials. My career goal is to establish theory and simulation-driven approaches to understanding the physics of soft materials at multiple-length scales, typically utilizing molecular dynamics and theoretical approaches.

Professor Ruppert-Stroescu is passionate about harnessing the power of textiles and clothing to improve lives. Her research focuses on the study and application of creativity, particularly through the exploration of sustainable fashion design and production. Ruppert-Stroescu has numerous peer-reviewed publications and has given research presentations and exhibited her creative scholarship at conferences internationally. She holds intellectual property protection for four inventions, including a patent for “Textile repurposing and sustainable garment design.”

Stephen Ryan’s research interests include: industrial organization, applied microeconometrics, dynamic games, environmental regulation, health economics

Dr. Werder’s research expertise includes message strategy effects, corporate social responsibility, crisis management, leadership in public relations, and student learning outcomes assessment. She specializes in survey and experimental research methodologies.