Thomas H. Epps, III
Bachelors – 1998 MIT,
Masters – 1999 MIT (Practice School),
Doctorate – 2004 University of Minnesota,
Post-Doctorate – 2006 NRC Postdoctoral Fellow – NIST,

Allan & Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor
Center for Research in Soft matter & Polymers (CRiSP) – Director,
Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials (CHARM) – Director,
Center for Plastics Innovation (CPI) – Deputy Director,
Email: Thomas H. Epps, III

Eric Gottlieb

Bachelors – 2013 Carnegie Mellon University
Doctorate – 2018 Carnegie Mellon University
Current Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Epps group

During his bachelors, Eric worked with Prof. Rongchao Jin on synthesis and characterization of gold nanoclusters. In his Ph.D., he worked with Prof. Tomasz Kowalewski and Prof. David Yaron on characterization, applications, and electronic structure modeling of heteroatom doped carbon nanostructures. In July of 2018, Eric joined the Epps group as a post-doctoral researcher working on nanostructured polymer characterization, control, and applications. Outside of research, Eric enjoys cooking, exercising, and building stuff.
Email: Eric Gottlieb

Craig Machado

Bachelors – 2013 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Doctorate – 2019 University of Florida
Current Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Epps group

During his bachelors, Craig worked with Prof. Phil Costanzo on self-healing coatings made from soybean oil. In 2013, he started his Ph.D. with Prof. Daniel Savin at University of Southern Mississippi. In 2015, the Savin group moved to University of Florida. Here, Craig studied block polymer self-assembly, including the hierarchical fractal self-assembly of polypeptides and UV-induced morphology transition of RAFT-based block polymers. In July 2019, Craig joined the Epps group as a post-doctoral researcher working on precision sulfonic acid polymers for battery membranes. In his free time, Craig enjoys practicing martial arts and going to concerts.

Email: Craig Machado
Introduction Video

Aynur Guliyeva

Bachelors – 2014 Baku State University
Masters – 2016 Grenoble Alpes University (Joseph Fourier University)
Doctorate – 2019 University of Orléans in France (in the collaboration with the team of Yushu Matsushita from Nagoya University of Japan)
Current Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Epps group

During her first year of masters, Aynur worked with Prof. Rachel Auzely on the formation of the hydrogels, films based on polysaccharides, lipid nanoparticles, and on the study of release properties. In second year of masters, she worked with Sami Halila on the synthesis, purification, and characterization of oligosaccharides. In her Ph.D., she worked with Prof. Christophe Sinturel and Marylene Vayer on the creation of original and unique structures by nanostructuration of triblock copolymers (ABC) in thin films and development of innovative characterization methods. After finishing her doctoral studies at the end of September 2019, she joined the Epps group as a post-doctoral researcher working on the nanostructured polymer thin films and their characterization. Outside of work, Aynur enjoys traveling, reading, and learning foreign languages.

Email: Aynur Guliyeva

Garrett Bass

Bachelors – 2014 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Doctorate – 2019 The University of Akron
Current Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Epps group

While completing his bachelors in biochemistry, Garrett worked with Prof. Phil Costanzo on RAFT polymerization of surfactants for carbon nanotube dispersion. In 2015 he joined Dr. Matthew Becker at the University of Akron developing bottlebrush block copolymers for templating applications. After moving to Duke University with the Becker lab in 2019, he finished his Ph.D. on the synthesis and 3D-printing of poly(propylene fumarate) derivatives for tissue engineering applications. Garrett joined the Epps group in December 2020 as a post-doctoral researcher focused on developing lignin feedstocks for value-added materials. Outside of lab, he enjoys hiking and playing volleyball.

Email: Garrett Bass

Zachary Hinton

Bachelors – 2014 Rowan University
Doctorate – 2020 Drexel University
Current Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Center for Plastics Innovation (co-advised by Dr. LaShanda Korley)

During his bachelors, Zach worked with Profs. Kevin Dahm and William Riddell on design and characterization of polymeric thermal energy collectors. In his Ph.D., he worked with Prof. Nicolas Alvarez on surfactant transport to high pressure interfaces as well as rheological characterization of transient polymer networks and design of high performance thermoplastic composites. In December of 2020, Zach joined the Center for Plastics Innovation as a post-doctoral researcher working on valorizing plastic waste. Outside of research, Zach enjoys exploring new cuisines and studying history and linguistics.

Email: Zachary Hinton

Priyanka Ketkar
Bachelors – 2016 University of Minnesota – Twin Cities,
Current Graduate Student.
Priyanka joined the Epps group in fall of 2016. Her passion to help the environment motivated her research interest in block copolymer electrolyte materials for lithium ion batteries. Outside of lab, Priyanka enjoys traveling, learning new languages, playing violin, and recreational sports.
Email: Priyanka Ketkar
Introduction Video

Greg Peterson
Bachelors – 2003 Bucknell University,
Current Graduate Student.
Greg has worked at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center since graduating from Bucknell University in 2003, focusing on developing novel materials for filtration (gas masks, building filters) and decontamination of chemical warfare agents. He joined the Epps Group as a part time graduate student in Spring 2016, with research interests of metal-organic frameworks and electrospun nanofibers. Outside of work and school, Greg enjoys running and biking around Harford County, MD.
Email: Greg Peterson

Esther Roh
Bachelors – 2017 Columbia University,
Current Graduate Student (co-advised by Dr. Millicent O. Sullivan).
Esther joined the Epps group in fall of 2017. Her interest in personalized health care has motivated her to focus her research on drug delivery methods via stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles. Outside of research, Esther enjoys travelling with family and friends, eating, playing board/video games with others and exploring new cities.
Email: Esther Roh
Introduction Video

Robert O’Dea
Bachelors – 2015 University of Pittsburgh,
Current Graduate Student.
Robert joined the Epps group in December of 2017. His research involves bio-based polymers with a focus on block polymers for lithium-ion battery membrane technology. Outside of the lab, Robert enjoys hiking, travelling, and photography.
Email: Robert O’Dea
Introduction Video

Jignesh Mahajan
Bachelors – 2016 Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
Masters – 2018 Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Current Graduate Student (co-advised by Prof. LaShanda Korley).
Jignesh has worked on electrospinnability of ultra-high molecular weight polypropylene (UHMWPP) for his master’s thesis under the supervision of Prof. Anup K. Ghosh (IIT Delhi) and Dr. V. K. Gupta (Reliance Industries Ltd., Mumbai). He also has worked on life cycle assessment, shear thickening fluids, and lignocellulosic fibers and their composites. He joined Epps group in fall 2018. His research involves design and development of bio-based polymers and processing, with a focus on application development. Outside lab, he likes to listen to music and travel.
Email: Jignesh Mahajan
Introduction Video

Mruthula Rammohan
Bachelors – 2019 Indian Institute of Technology Madras
Current Graduate Student (co-advised by Dr. Millicent O. Sullivan).
Mruthula joined the Epps group in fall of 2019. Her research focuses on drug delivery through skin via stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles. Outside of lab, Mruthula enjoys cooking, doodling, and modern calligraphy.
Email: Mruthula Rammohan
Introduction Video

Maida Mahmood
Bachelors – 2016 University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Current Graduate Student (Co-advised by Dr. LaShanda Korley).
Maida has joined Epps group in the Fall of 2019. Her research will be oriented towards development and characterization of bio-based polymers. Outside of research she is an avid admirer of art and music.
Email: Maida Mahmood
Introduction Video

Mengying (Sara) Yang
Bachelors – 2019 Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
Current Graduate Student.
Sara joined the Epps Group in fall of 2019. Her interest in helping the world energy issue has motivated her to pursue the research on lithium-ion batteries. Outside of research, Sara enjoys playing tennis, traveling and hanging out with friends.
Email: Mengying (Sara) Yang
Introduction Video

Sampanna Mhatre
Bachelors – 2018 Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
Current Graduate Student (co-advised by Prof. LaShanda Korley).
After his bachelor’s focused on polymers and coatings, Sampanna got around 2.5 years of industrial research experience in the field of Epoxy resin and hardeners. He joined the Epps group in November 2020 where his work will be oriented towards the Renewable Polymers and Plastics Upcycling effort. Outside of research, Sampanna likes to play harmonica and listen to music.
Email: Sampanna Mhatre

Allison Koopman
Bachelors – 2019 University of California, Santa Barbara
Current Graduate Student (co-advised by Prof. Christopher Kloxin).
Allison joined the Epps group in the fall of 2020. Her research involves synthesizing responsive polymer-peptide conjugates. Allison enjoys planning trips and upcycling clothes.
Email: Allison Koopman

Paula Pranda
Undergraduate Student,
University of Delaware (Class of 2021)
Paula joined the Epp group in June 2018. She works on lignin derived polymers from various biomass feedstocks. In her free time, Paula likes to hike, drink coffee and read mystery novels.
Email: Paula Pranda
Introduction Video

Alice Amitrano
Undergraduate Student,
University of Delaware (Class of 2021)
Alice comes from Rome (Italy) and she is a Chemical Engineering major with a minor in Chemistry at University of Delaware. She joined Epps group in the Winter 2020 and her research is on 3D printing and lignin derived polymers. She used to be a college volleyball player in West Virginia. She loves playing beach volleyball, travelling, reading poetry and playing the piano.

Email: Alice Amitrano
Introduction Video

Josh Watson
Undergraduate Student,
University of Delaware (Class of 2022)
Joshua is a chemical engineering major at the University of Delaware. He joined the Epps group in January of 2019 and is researching polymer electrolytes for lithium ion battery applications. Aside from research, Joshua enjoys playing bass, hunting, watching football, and running.
Email: Josh Watson