Faculty Members
Jenna Jambeck
Associate Director, New Materials Institute
Lead, Circular Materials Management; and, Circularity Informatics Lab
Regents’ Professor, University System of Georgia
Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter | Marine Debris Tracker Facebook/Twitter/Website
jjambeck@uga.edu
Global materials management, waste, plastic, biodegradation, recycling
Branson W. Ritchie
Director, Technology Development & Implementation, New Materials Institute
Distinguished Research Professor
Director, UGA Infectious Diseases Laboratory
britchie@uga.edu
Animal health, emerging diseases, infectious diseases, technology development and implementation
Jason Locklin
Director, New Materials Institute
Lead; Advanced Polymers, Fibers & Coatings
Distinguished Faculty Scholar, UGA College of Engineering
Professor; Department of Chemistry, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences,
and, College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter
jlocklin@uga.edu
New polymers, Bioseniatic℠ materials, biodegradable materials, coatings and interfaces
Joseph G. Usack
Assistant Professor—Sustainable Food Systems
Department of Food Science & Technology
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Faculty page | Google Scholar
joseph.usack@uga.edu
Sustainable food systems engineering; bioprocess engineering; open-culture microbiomes; resource recovery (food, water, energy, nutrients); food, agriculture sectors
Elizabeth Brisbois
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
ejbrisbois@uga.edu
Novel therapeutics and medical device materials derived from human body molecules; antimicrobial and hemocompatible interfaces; anti-inflammatory biomaterials; insulin delivery; polymer and small molecule chemistry; pulmonary and dental therapeutics
Cheryl Gomillion
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Publications
ctgomillion@uga.edu
Natural tissue replacements, composite tissue systems, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cell-biomaterial interactions, multi-functional biomaterials, tissue modeling systems, cell-based therapeutics
Rebecca Abney
Assistant Professor of Forest & Disturbed Soils
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Website | Google Scholar
Rebecca.Abney@uga.edu
Organic soil matter, soil carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycles, biochar, erosion control, soil nutrient dynamics
Vladimir Popik
Professor
Department of Chemistry
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
Website | Google Scholar
vpopik@uga.edu
Light-responsive materials, photo-degradable polymers, new methods of chemical recycling of plastics
Grant Crane
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Website | The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
gcrane@uga.edu
Material science, Bioseniatic™ materials, degradable polymers, composites and coatings
Jessica Bramhall
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Website
jbram92@uga.edu
Formulation science and development, performance and barrier coatings, material science, polyhydroxyalkanoates, biologically degradable materials
Breeanna Urbanowicz
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
Website | Google Scholar
breeanna@uga.edu
hemicellulose, xylan, plant cell wall, cellulose, glycosyltransferase, plant glycobiology, plant biochemistry
Jim Kastner
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
jrk@uga.edu
Catalytic reaction engineering, renewable fuels and chemicals.
Jay A. Brandes
Professor
Department of Marine Sciences
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
jay.brandes@skio.uga.edu
Marine debris, plastics, microplastics, microthreads, stable isotopes, photochemistry, carbon cycling
Katy Austin Smith
Public Service Assistant/Water Quality Program Coordinator
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
River Basin Center
Georgia DNR Coastal Advisory Council
Website | Research Gate
klaustin@uga.edu
Water quality, marine debris, marine education, emerging contaminants, estuaries, microplastics
Dorothea Sanders
Public Service Associate
Marine Extension
Website
sandersd@uga.edu
Marine debris, microplastics, marine education
Mark Eiteman
Professor and Distinguished Faculty Scholar
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
eiteman@engr.uga.edu
Metabolic engineering, fermentation, nutrient-limited processes, microbial physiology
Joe Grubbs
Adjunct Assistant Professor
College of Engineering
Director R&D Athens/Senior Polymer Scientist for DaniMer Scientific
Website
joe.grubbs@uga.edu
Biodegradable materials, waxes, coatings and renewable adhesives
Suraj Sharma
Professor
Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors
Website
ssharma@uga.edu
Nanocellulose, biopolymer composites
Sudhagar Mani
Professor
College of Engineering & Department of Food Science and Technology
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
smani@engr.uga.edu
Nanocellulose manufacturing, food packaging films, surface modified nanocellulose, LCA of Nanocellulose
Gajanan Bhat
Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Fibers and Textiles
Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors
Website
gbhat@uga.edu
Fiber science, nonwovens, melt-blowing, cotton nonwovens, plastic recycling, multifunctional nonwovens
Xianqiao (XQ) Wang
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
xqwang@uga.edu
Computational mechanics, soft matters, mechanics of biopolymer composites, bio-inorganic interfaces
Yajun Yan
Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
yajunyan@uga.edu
Metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, natural products, bioenergy, biotechnology
Jenna Jambeck
Associate Director, New Materials Institute
Lead, Circular Materials Management; and, Circularity Informatics Lab
Regents’ Professor, University System of Georgia
Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter | Marine Debris Tracker Facebook/Twitter/Website
jjambeck@uga.edu
Global materials management, waste, plastic, biodegradation, recycling
KC Das
Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
kdas@engr.uga.edu
Materials management, agricultural materials, biomass cycling, anaerobic digestion
Julia Gaskin
Senior Public Service Associate
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Website
jgaskin@uga.edu
Biomass and nutrient cycling
Luke Li
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Lab
keli@engr.uga.edu
Materials flow, life cycle assessment
Erin Lipp
Professor
Environmental Health Science, Microbiology
Website
elipp@uga.edu
Public health, microbiology
Hitesh Handa
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Research Gate
hhanda@uga.edu
Nitric oxide releasing materials, antibacterial coatings, hemocompatible materials, medical devices, animal models, wound healings, translational research
Sergiy Minko
Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science
Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors and Department of Chemistry
Website | Lab
sminko@uga.edu
Nanofibers, bio-based coatings, nanostructured materials, responsive materials, biomaterials, biointerfaces, functional fibers and textiles
Branson W. Ritchie
Director, Technology Development & Implementation, New Materials Institute
Distinguished Research Professor
Director, UGA Infectious Diseases Laboratory
britchie@uga.edu
Animal health, emerging diseases, infectious diseases, technology development and implementation
Evan M. White
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Director, The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
Website | The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
emwhite@uga.edu
Material science, Bioseniatic™ materials, degradable polymers, composites and coatings
Jason Locklin
Director, New Materials Institute
Lead; Advanced Polymers, Fibers & Coatings
Distinguished Faculty Scholar, UGA College of Engineering
Professor; Department of Chemistry, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences,
and, College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter
jlocklin@uga.edu
New polymers, Bioseniatic℠ materials, biodegradable materials, coatings and interfaces
Elizabeth Brisbois
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
ejbrisbois@uga.edu
Novel therapeutics and medical device materials derived from human body molecules; antimicrobial and hemocompatible interfaces; anti-inflammatory biomaterials; insulin delivery; polymer and small molecule chemistry; pulmonary and dental therapeutics
Cheryl Gomillion
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Publications
ctgomillion@uga.edu
Natural tissue replacements, composite tissue systems, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cell-biomaterial interactions, multi-functional biomaterials, tissue modeling systems, cell-based therapeutics
Branson W. Ritchie
Director, Technology Development & Implementation, New Materials Institute
Distinguished Research Professor
Director, UGA Infectious Diseases Laboratory
britchie@uga.edu
Animal health, emerging diseases, infectious diseases, technology development and implementation
Evan M. White
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Director, The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
Website | The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
emwhite@uga.edu
Material science, Bioseniatic™ materials, degradable polymers, composites and coatings
Jason Locklin
Director, New Materials Institute
Lead; Advanced Polymers, Fibers & Coatings
Distinguished Faculty Scholar, UGA College of Engineering
Professor; Department of Chemistry, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences,
and, College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter
jlocklin@uga.edu
New polymers, Bioseniatic℠ materials, biodegradable materials, coatings and interfaces
Elizabeth Brisbois
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
ejbrisbois@uga.edu
Novel therapeutics and medical device materials derived from human body molecules; antimicrobial and hemocompatible interfaces; anti-inflammatory biomaterials; insulin delivery; polymer and small molecule chemistry; pulmonary and dental therapeutics
Cheryl Gomillion
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Publications
ctgomillion@uga.edu
Natural tissue replacements, composite tissue systems, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cell-biomaterial interactions, multi-functional biomaterials, tissue modeling systems, cell-based therapeutics
Vladimir Popik
Professor
Department of Chemistry
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
Website | Google Scholar
vpopik@uga.edu
Light-responsive materials, photo-degradable polymers, new methods of chemical recycling of plastics
Grant Crane
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Website | The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
gcrane@uga.edu
Material science, Bioseniatic™ materials, degradable polymers, composites and coatings
Jessica Bramhall
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Website
jbram92@uga.edu
Formulation science and development, performance and barrier coatings, material science, polyhydroxyalkanoates, biologically degradable materials
Breeanna Urbanowicz
Assistant Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Franklin College of Arts & Sciences
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
Website | Google Scholar
breeanna@uga.edu
hemicellulose, xylan, plant cell wall, cellulose, glycosyltransferase, plant glycobiology, plant biochemistry
Jim Kastner
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
jrk@uga.edu
Catalytic reaction engineering, renewable fuels and chemicals.
Mark Eiteman
Professor and Distinguished Faculty Scholar
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
eiteman@engr.uga.edu
Metabolic engineering, fermentation, nutrient-limited processes, microbial physiology
Joe Grubbs
Adjunct Assistant Professor
College of Engineering
Director R&D Athens/Senior Polymer Scientist for DaniMer Scientific
Website
joe.grubbs@uga.edu
Biodegradable materials, waxes, coatings and renewable adhesives
Suraj Sharma
Professor
Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors
Website
ssharma@uga.edu
Nanocellulose, biopolymer composites
Sudhagar Mani
Professor
College of Engineering & Department of Food Science and Technology
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
smani@engr.uga.edu
Nanocellulose manufacturing, food packaging films, surface modified nanocellulose, LCA of Nanocellulose
Gajanan Bhat
Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Fibers and Textiles
Department of Textiles, Merchandising & Interiors
Website
gbhat@uga.edu
Fiber science, nonwovens, melt-blowing, cotton nonwovens, plastic recycling, multifunctional nonwovens
Xianqiao (XQ) Wang
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
xqwang@uga.edu
Computational mechanics, soft matters, mechanics of biopolymer composites, bio-inorganic interfaces
Yajun Yan
Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
yajunyan@uga.edu
Metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, natural products, bioenergy, biotechnology
Hitesh Handa
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Research Gate
hhanda@uga.edu
Nitric oxide releasing materials, antibacterial coatings, hemocompatible materials, medical devices, animal models, wound healings, translational research
Sergiy Minko
Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science
Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors and Department of Chemistry
Website | Lab
sminko@uga.edu
Nanofibers, bio-based coatings, nanostructured materials, responsive materials, biomaterials, biointerfaces, functional fibers and textiles
Evan M. White
Assistant Research Scientist
Locklin Group, UGA New Materials Institute
Director, The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
Website | The Bioseniatic℠ Laboratory
emwhite@uga.edu
Material science, Bioseniatic™ materials, degradable polymers, composites and coatings
Jason Locklin
Director, New Materials Institute
Lead; Advanced Polymers, Fibers & Coatings
Distinguished Faculty Scholar, UGA College of Engineering
Professor; Department of Chemistry, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences,
and, College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter
jlocklin@uga.edu
New polymers, Bioseniatic℠ materials, biodegradable materials, coatings and interfaces
Joseph G. Usack
Assistant Professor—Sustainable Food Systems
Department of Food Science & Technology
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Faculty page | Google Scholar
joseph.usack@uga.edu
Sustainable food systems engineering; bioprocess engineering; open-culture microbiomes; resource recovery (food, water, energy, nutrients); food, agriculture sectors
Rebecca Abney
Assistant Professor of Forest & Disturbed Soils
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Website | Google Scholar
Rebecca.Abney@uga.edu
Organic soil matter, soil carbon and nitrogen biogeochemical cycles, biochar, erosion control, soil nutrient dynamics
Jay A. Brandes
Professor
Department of Marine Sciences
Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
Website | Google Scholar | Research Gate
jay.brandes@skio.uga.edu
Marine debris, plastics, microplastics, microthreads, stable isotopes, photochemistry, carbon cycling
Katy Austin Smith
Public Service Assistant/Water Quality Program Coordinator
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
River Basin Center
Georgia DNR Coastal Advisory Council
Website | Research Gate
klaustin@uga.edu
Water quality, marine debris, marine education, emerging contaminants, estuaries, microplastics
Dorothea Sanders
Public Service Associate
Marine Extension
Website
sandersd@uga.edu
Marine debris, microplastics, marine education
Jenna Jambeck
Associate Director, New Materials Institute
Lead, Circular Materials Management; and, Circularity Informatics Lab
Regents’ Professor, University System of Georgia
Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar | Twitter | Marine Debris Tracker Facebook/Twitter/Website
jjambeck@uga.edu
Global materials management, waste, plastic, biodegradation, recycling
KC Das
Professor
College of Engineering
Website | Google Scholar
kdas@engr.uga.edu
Materials management, agricultural materials, biomass cycling, anaerobic digestion
Julia Gaskin
Senior Public Service Associate
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Website
jgaskin@uga.edu
Biomass and nutrient cycling
Luke Li
Associate Professor
College of Engineering
Lab
keli@engr.uga.edu
Materials flow, life cycle assessment
Erin Lipp
Professor
Environmental Health Science, Microbiology
Website
elipp@uga.edu
Public health, microbiology