Two RPS Lab alumni – David Amirsadri and Colby Constantine – earned the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship award, which sponsors their graduate studies and research. Congratulations to both of these young researchers! The award is truly deserving, and our lab cannot wait to see their growth in the near future.

During their time in my group, David conducted measurements of the phase behavior and aggregation of polymer grafted nanoparticles (link) with impressive synthesis and characterization skills. He is now a student at University of Michigan working with Drs. Christopher Browne and Ron Larson to continue researching soft matter systems.

Colby ran particle tracking measurements to determine how nanoparticles transport through polymer-linked emulsions, helping to identify spatiotemporal heterogeneities in the system (link) and biomimetic dynamics (link). In addition, he independently created a multilayer mimic of mucosal layers to identify mechanisms of nanoparticle uptake. He is currently at the University of Delaware with Drs. Cathy Fromen and Victoria Muir where he continues to investigate transport properties and delivery.