Stefan France

Stefan France

Stefan France

Associate Professor

Stefan France is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Professor France earned his B.S. in Chemistry (2000) from Duke University and a M.A. (2003) and Ph.D. (2005) in Organic Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. His research group focuses on experimental methodology development, natural product synthesis, and medicinal chemistry. Owing to Prof. France's avid interest in undergraduate research, his research group has mentored and trained more than 60 undergraduates (both Georgia Tech and non-Georgia Tech students). Professor France has been the recipient of several awards for his research, mentorship, and teaching including: the 2018 Georgia Tech-Georgia Power Professor of Excellence; the 2015 Georgia Tech Senior Faculty Outstanding Undergraduate Mentor Award; the 2014 Georgia Tech Faculty Award for Academic Outreach; the 2014 Georgia Tech Hesberg Teaching Award; the 2013 Georgia Tech Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award; the 2012 National Organization for the Professional Advancement for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award; and the 2011 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. He heads the Chemistry FAST Program, a NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site, and also serves as Chair of the NSF Chemistry REU Leadership Group.

stefan.france@chemistry.gatech.edu

404-385-1796

Office Location:
MoSE 2100K

Website

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Cancer Biology
    • Drug Design, Development and Delivery
    Additional Research:
    Our group is interested in the design of efficient methodologies to accomplish the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds with the intent to apply the methodology toward the synthesis of complex natural and unnatural targets. Natural Product Synthesis. Approaches to natural products not only inspire the development of new synthetic strategies, but often unveil unexpected and often interesting reactivity. Targets are chosen for their interesting biological activity along with their sheer complexity. We are interested in exploring both modular and convergent approaches to complex targets that enable facile derivatization for the development of combinatorial libraries. Medicinal Chemistry. Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry lies at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy. Our group is interested in the design, synthesis and development of pharmaceutical drugs, or other chemical entities suitable for therapeutic use. We are further interested in the study of their biological properties and their quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR). Given that medicinal chemistry is a highly interdisciplinary science, we aim to establish several collaborations with biologists, biochemists, and computational chemists to facilitate the design and development process. In particular, we aim to develop therapeutics toward the treatment of various forms of cancer, HIV, diabetes, and neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

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    Zhaohui (Julene) Tong

    Zhaohui (Julene) Tong

    Zhaohui (Julene) Tong

    Associate Professor
    RBI Lead: Waste Valorization in Food-Energy-Water

    The Tong Lab tackles challenges in the interdisciplinary areas of bioresource engineering and sustainable chemistry. We develop innovative technologies for producing chemicals, materials, energy, and fuels from renewable resources.

    Current research interests include:

    • Functional biomaterials for high-efficiency circular economy
    • Platform chemicals and hydrocarbon fuels from renewable resources
    • Sustainable process control and modeling
    • Nano-biomaterial synthesis and self-assembling
    • Polymer degradation and recycling

    Disciplines:

    • Materials and Nanotechnology

    • Energy and Sustainability

    zt7@gatech.edu

    404.894.3098

    Office Location:
    ES&T 2226

    Website

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Biochemicals
    • Biorefining
    • Energy
    • Materials and Nanotechnology
    • Pulp & Paper Manufacturing
    • Sustainable Engineering
    • Sustainable Manufacturing

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    Akanksha Menon

    Akanksha Menon

    Akanksha Menon

    Assistant Professor

    Dr. Akanksha Menon is an Assistant Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Prior to this, she was a Rosenfeld Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where she performed research on hybrid membrane-thermal desalination processes using solar energy, and she also contributed to the development of thermal energy storage materials. Dr. Menon completed her Ph.D. at Georgia Tech, where she focused on developing semiconducting polymers and new device architectures for thermoelectric energy harvesting. She holds a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University at Qatar, as well as a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech.

    Her research group at Georgia Tech is working on technologies for the water-energy nexus.

    akanksha.menon@me.gatech.edu

    Akanksha Menon Profile

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Combustion
    • Energy
    • Renewable Energy

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    Lauren Garten

    Lauren Garten

    Lauren Garten

    Assistant Professor

    Lauren Garten joined the School of Material Science and Engineering as an assistant professor in Fall 2021. Her group focuses on developing new materials for energy and electronic applications, particularly at the nexus between ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, electronics, and photovoltaics. 

    Lauren received her B.S. in ceramic engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. She then went on to earn a Ph.D. in material science from the Pennsylvania State University for her work on ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and dielectric synthesis and characterization with Prof. Susan Trolier-McKinstry. She then became a post-doc at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory working on metastable materials for energy applications. After a very short stint as a material scientist at Sandia National Laboratory, she won the NRC Research Associateship from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Math which was hosted at the U.S. Naval Research Lab (NRL). She then received the Jerome and Isabella Karle Distinguished Scholar Fellowship from NRL to work on lead-free multiferroic materials and devices.

    lauren.garten@mse.gatech.edu

    404-894-5748

    Office Location:
    Pettit 210

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Advanced Materials
    • Electronics
    • Energy Harvesting
    • Energy Storage
    • Nanomaterials
    • Solar
    Additional Research:

    Electronics, Energy Harvesting, Energy Storage, Solar


    IRI Connections:

    Scott Sinquefield

    Scott Sinquefield

    Scott Sinquefield

    Senior Research Engineer

    Scott Sinquefield completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1998 at Oregon State University. He spent three years working with the Multi-Fuel Combustion Group at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Labs (Livermore); where he performed the experimental portion of his thesis research. He joined the Chemical Recovery group at IPST in 1998 and was lead.engineer in the construction and operation of the Pressurize Entrained Flow Reactor facility. He now leads the research program on black liquor gasification. He has extensive experience in the design and construction of pilot research reactors and control systems. He also has expertise in boiler fire-side fouling and thermodynamic modeling of aqueous electrolyte systems.

    Scott.Sinquefield@rbi.gatech.edu

    (404) 385-0241

    Website

    University, College, and School/Department
    Research Focus Areas:
    • Biobased Materials
    • Biochemicals
    • Biorefining
    • Biotechnology
    • Pulp Paper Packaging & Tissue
    • Renewable Energy
    • Sustainable Manufacturing
    Additional Research:
    Gasification; Biofuels; Chemical Recovery; Environmental Processes; Separation Technologies

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    Preet Singh

    Preet Singh

    Preet Singh

    Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
    Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, School of Materials Science and Engineering

    Prior to joining MSE in July 2003 Professor Singh was a faculty member in Corrosion and Materials Engineering Group at The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) since 1996.  While in IPST Singh worked on fundamental as well as applied research projects related to the corrosion problems in the pulp and paper industry. From 1990 to 1996, he was a Senior Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, working on various materials and corrosion related research projects, including damage accumulation in metal matrix composites (MMCs), Environmental sensitive fracture of Al-alloys MMCs, and High temperature oxidation of Nb/Nb5Si3 composites. He received the Alcan International's Fellowship in 1988-90 to work on "Effects of Low Melting Point Impurities on Slow Crack Growth in Al Alloys,"  He has published over 50 papers in reputed scientific journals and conference proceedings. He is active member of NACE, TMS, TAPPI and has co-organized a number of international symposiums.

    Reliable performance of the materials is very important for any industrial process and especially for the chemical process industry for the manufacture of a high quality product. Material selection is generally based on the required material properties, low initial capital investment, and minimum maintenance. Changes in the process parameters to improve products can often lead to higher corrosion susceptibilities of the plant materials. Moreover, with increase in capital cost, there is pressure to extend the life of existing plant equipment beyond its original design life. Corrosion and Materials Engineers are also playing a key role in selecting, maintaining, and modifying materials for changing needs for every industry. Corrosion Science and Engineering research includes understanding the basic mechanisms involved in material degradation in given environments and using that knowledge to develop a mitigation strategy against environment-induced failures

    preet.singh@mse.gatech.edu

    404.894.6641

    Office Location:
    IPST 246

    Corrosion and Materials Lab

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Biobased Materials
    • Biochemicals
    • Biorefining
    • Biotechnology
    • Materials and Nanotechnology
    • Pulp Paper Packaging & Tissue
    • Renewable Energy
    • Sustainable Manufacturing
    Additional Research:

    Composites; fracture and fatigue; stress corrosion; Materials Failure and Reliability; Biofuels; Chemical Recovery; Environmental Processes; Sustainable Manufacturing; Energy & Water; Corrosion & Reliability


    IRI Connections:

    J. Carson Meredith

    J. Carson Meredith

    J. Carson Meredith

    Executive Director of the Renewable Bioproducts Institute
    Professor and James Harris Faculty Fellow, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

    Meredith is the Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Renewable Bioproducts Institute, and the James Harris Faculty Fellow in ChBE.

    Meredith's group researches the surfaces and interfaces of advanced materials. Their work aims to apply fundamentals of polymer, surface and colloid science to find new ways to engineer materials useful to society and industry. In particular, projects emphasize the utilization of renewable components and sustainable processing to achieve circular manufacturing and use of plastics, composites, foams and coatings, among others. Many of these materials are critical for food security, energy efficiency, and are closely connected to greenhouse gas reduction.

    carson.meredith@chbe.gatech.edu

    404.385.2151

    Office Location:
    ES&T 1212

    ChBE Profile Page

  • The Meredith Group
  • Renewable Bioproducts Institute
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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Biobased Materials
    • Biochemicals
    • Biorefining
    • Biotechnology
    • Materials and Nanotechnology
    • Pulp Paper Packaging & Tissue
    • Sustainable Manufacturing
    Additional Research:

    Catalysis; Cellulosic Nanomaterials; Separation Technologies; Nanocellulose Applications; Aerogels & Hydrogels; Films & Coatings; Coatings & Barriers; Biomaterials


    IRI Connections:

    Dennis Hess

    Dennis Hess

    Dennis Hess

    Professor Emeritus, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

    Dennis Hess’s research interests are in thin film science and technology, surface and interface modification and characterization, microelectronics processing and electronic materials. His group focuses on the establishment of fundamental structure-property relationships and their connection to chemical process sequences used in the fabrication of novel films, electronic materials, devices, and nanostructures. Control of the surface properties of materials such as dielectrics, semiconductors, metals, and paper or paper board by film deposition or surface modification allows the design of such surfaces for a variety of applications in microelectronics, packaging, sensors, microfluidics, and separation processes.

    dennis.hess@chbe.gatech.edu

    (404) 894-5922

    ChBE Profile Page

  • Hess Group
  • University, College, and School/Department
    Research Focus Areas:
    • Biobased Materials
    • Biochemicals
    • Biorefining
    • Biotechnology
    • Electronic Materials
    • Miniaturization & Integration
    • Pulp Paper Packaging & Tissue
    • Sustainable Manufacturing
    • Use & Conservation
    Additional Research:

    Electronics; Thin Films; Surfaces and Interfaces; plasma processing; Papermaking; Coatings & Barriers; Films & Coatings; Biomaterials


    IRI Connections:

    Natalie Stingelin

    Natalie  Stingelin

    Natalie Stingelin

    Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

    Previously a professor of organic functional materials at the Department of Materials, Imperial College of London, Natalie Stingelin joined Georgia Tech in 2016. She focuses her research on the broad field of organic functional materials, including organic electronics; multifunctional inorganic/organic hybrids; smart, advanced optical systems based on organic matter; and bioelectronics. Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry, she has published more than 130 papers and 6 issued patents. She is a co-investigator of the newly established EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large Area Electronics, and she leads the EC Marie-Curie Training Network 'INFORM' that involves 11 European partners. She was awarded the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining's Rosenhain Medal and Prize (2014) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) President's International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) Award for Visiting Scientists (2015).

    natalie.stingelin@mse.gatech.edu

    404.894.5192

    Office Location:
    ES&T L1220

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  • Stingelin Lab
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    University, College, and School/Department
    Research Focus Areas:
    • Nanomaterials
    Additional Research:

    Organic electronics; Bioelectronics


    IRI Connections:

    Christopher Jones

    Christopher Jones

    Christopher Jones

    Professor and John F. Brock III School Chair, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

    Chris Jones was born in suburban Detroit, Michigan in July of 1973. After his primary and secondary schooling and 14 years living Troy, Michigan, he enrolled as a chemical engineering student at the University of Michigan. In route to earning a BSE in chemical engineering, Chris carried out research on transition metal carbide and nitride catalytic materials under the direction of Levi Thompson. After graduating in 1995, Chris moved to Pasadena, California, to study inorganic materials chemistry and catalysis under Mark E. Davis at Caltech. There he earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Subsequently, he studied organometallic chemistry and olefin polymerization under the direction of both Davis and John E Bercaw at Caltech. He started as an assistant professor at Georgia Tech in the summer of 2000 and was promoted to associate professor in July 2005. In May, 2005, he was appointed the J. Carl and Sheila Pirkle Faculty Fellow, followed by a promotion to professor in July 2008. He was named New-Vision Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in July 2011. In 2015, he became the Love Family Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and in 2019 the William R. McLain Chair. Chris was named the associate vice president for research at Georgia Tech in November 2013. In this role, he directed 50% of his time on campus-wide research administration with a primary focus on interdisciplinary research efforts and policy related to research institutes, centers and research core facilities. In 2018, he served as the interim executive vice-president for research, before returning full time to his research and teaching roles in chemical and biomolecular engineering in 2019.

    Jones directs a research program focused primarily on catalysis and CO2 separation, sequestration and utilization. A major focus of his laboratory is the development of materials and processes for the removal of CO2 from air, or “direct air capture” (DAC). In 2010 he was honored with the Ipatieff Prize from the American Chemical Society for his work on palladium catalyzed Heck and Suzuki coupling reactions. That same year, he was selected as the founding Editor-in-Chief of ACS Catalysis, a new multi-disciplinary catalysis journal published by the American Chemical Society. In 2013, Chris was recognized by the North American Catalysis Society with the Paul E. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis and by the American Society of Engineering Education with the Curtis W. McGraw Research Award. In 2016 he was recognized by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers with the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering, distinguishing him as one of the top academic chemical engineers under 45. In 2020, after ten years building and leading ACS Catalysis, he was selected as the founding Editor-in-Chief of JACS Au by an international editorial search committee commissioned by the ACS. Dr. Jones has been PI or co-PI on over $72M in sponsored research in the last seventeen years, and as of December 2020, has published over 300 papers that have been cited >28,000 times. He has an H-Index of 82 (Google Scholar).

    cjones@chbe.gatech.edu

    404.385.1683

    Office Location:
    ES&T 2202

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    Research Focus Areas:
    • Fuels & Chemical Processing
    • Materials for Energy
    • Renewable Energy
    Additional Research:

    CO2 capture, catalysis, membrane and separations, separations technology, catalysis, carbon capture, biofuels


    IRI Connections: