Martha Grover

Martha Grover

Martha Grover

Professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
James Harris Faculty Fellow, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Member, NSF/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution

Grover’s research activities in process systems engineering focus on understanding macromolecular organization and the emergence of biological function. Discrete atoms and molecules interact to form macromolecules and even larger mesoscale assemblies, ultimately yielding macroscopic structures and properties. A quantitative relationship between the nanoscale discrete interactions and the macroscale properties is required to design, optimize, and control such systems; yet in many applications, predictive models do not exist or are computationally intractable.

The Grover group is dedicated to the development of tractable and practical approaches for the engineering of macroscale behavior via explicit consideration of molecular and atomic scale interactions. We focus on applications involving the kinetics of self-assembly, specifically those in which methods from non-equilibrium statistical mechanics do not provide closed form solutions. General approaches employed include stochastic modeling, model reduction, machine learning, experimental design, robust parameter design, and estimation.

martha.grover@chbe.gatech.edu

404.894.2878

Office Location:
ES&T 1228

Grover Group

  • ChBE Profile Page
  • Google Scholar

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Electronic Materials
    • Molecular Evolution
    • Nuclear
    Additional Research:

    Colloids; Crystallization; Organic and Inorganic Photonics and Electronics; Polymers; Discrete atoms and molecules interact to form macromolecules and even larger mesoscale assemblies, ultIMaTely yielding macroscopic structures and properties. A quantitative relationship between the nanoscale discrete interactions and the macroscale properties is required to design, optimize, and control such systems; yet in many applications, predictive models do not exist or are computationally intractable. The Grover group is dedicated to the development of tractable and practical approaches for the engineering of macroscale behavior via explicit consideration of molecular and atomic scale interactions. We focus on applications involving the kinetics of self-assembly, specific those in which methods from non-equilibrium statistical mechanics do not provide closed form solutions. General approaches employed include stochastic modeling, model reduction, machine learning, experimental design, robust parameter design, estIMaTion, and optimal control, monitoring and control for nuclear waste processing and polymer organic electronics


    IRI Connections:

    Andrei Fedorov

    Andrei Fedorov

    Andrei Fedorov

    Professor and Rae S. and Frank H. Neely Chair, Woodruff School Mechanical Engineering
    Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, School Mechanical Engineering
    Director, Fedorov Lab

    Fedorov's background is in thermal/fluid sciences, chemical reaction engineering as well as in applied mathematics. His laboratory works at the intersection between mechanical and chemical engineering and solid state physics and analytical chemistry with the focus on portable/ distributed power generation with synergetic CO2 capture; thermal management of high power dissipation devices and electronics cooling; special surfaces and nanostructured interfaces for catalysis, heat and moisture management; and development of novel bioanalytical instrumentation and chemical sensors. Fedorov joined Georgia Tech in 2000 as an assistant professor after finishing his postdoctoral work at Purdue University.

    AGF@gatech.edu

    404.385.1356

    Office Location:
    Love 307

    Fedorov Lab

  • ME Profile Page
  • Google Scholar

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Cancer Biology
    • Conventional Energy
    • Drug Design, Development and Delivery
    • Electronic Materials
    • Fuels & Chemical Processing
    • Hydrogen Production
    • Hydrogen Storage & Transport
    • Hydrogen Utilization
    • Materials for Energy
    • Miniaturization & Integration
    • Nuclear
    • Regenerative Medicine
    • Systems Biology
    • Use & Conservation
    Additional Research:

    Heat Transfer; power generation; CO2 Capture; Catalysis; fuel cells; "Fedorov's research is at the interface of basic sciences and engineering. His research portfolio is diverse, covering the areas of portable/ distributed power generation with synergetic carbon dioxide management, including hydrogen/CO2 separation/capture and energy storage, novel approaches to nanomanufacturing (see Figure), microdevices (MEMS) and instrumentation for biomedical research, and thermal management of high performance electronics. Fedorov's research includes experimental and theoretical components, as he seeks to develop innovative design solutions for the engineering systems whose optimal operation and enhanced functionality require fundamental understanding of thermal/fluid sciences. Applications of Fedorov's research range from fuel reformation and hydrogen generation for fuel cells to cooling of computer chips, from lab-on-a-chip microarrays for high throughput biomedical analysis to mechanosensing and biochemical imaging of biological membranes on nanoscale. The graduate and undergraduate students working with Fedorov's lab have a unique opportunity to develop skills in a number of disciplines in addition to traditional thermal/fluid sciences because of the highly interdisciplinary nature of their thesis research. Most students take courses and perform experimental and theoretical research in chemical engineering and applied physics. Acquired knowledge and skills are essential to starting and developing a successful career in academia as well as in many industries ranging from automotive, petrochemical and manufacturing to electronics to bioanalytical instrumentation and MEMS."


    IRI Connections:

    Seung Soon Jang

    Seung Soon Jang

    Seung Soon Jang

    Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
    Director, Computational NanoBio Technology Lab

    Seung Soon Jang joined the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in July 2007. Jang worked at Samsung Electronics and the Materials and Process Simulation Center (MSC) at CalTech performing various researches in nanoelectronics, fuel cell, and interfacial systems as a director of Supramolecular Technology for six years.

    His research interest includes computations and theories to characterize and design nanoscale systems based on the molecular architecture-property relationship, which are especially relevant to molecular electronics, molecular machines, fuel cell technology and biotechnology.

    SeungSoon@mse.gatech.edu

    404.385.3356

    Office Location:
    Love 351

    MSE Profile Page

  • Computational NanoBio Technology Lab
  • Google Scholar

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Computational Materials Science
    • Drug Design, Development and Delivery
    • Hydrogen Production
    • Hydrogen Utilization
    • Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics
    • Nanomaterials
    Additional Research:

    Jang's research interest is to characterize and design nanoscale systems based on the molecular architecture-property relationship using computations and theories, which are especially relevant to designing new biomaterials for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Currently, he is focusing on 1) NanoBio-mechanics for DNA, lipid bilayer, and hydrogel systems; 2) Molecular interaction of Alzheimer proteins with various small molecules. Dr. Jang is also interested in various topics such as nanoelectronics, nanostructured energy technologies for fuel cell, battery and photovoltaic devices.;Computational mechanics; Nanostructured Materials; Polymeric composites; Biomaterials; Fuel Cells; Delivery and Storage


    IRI Connections:

    Jennifer Glass

    Jennifer Glass

    Jennifer Glass

    Associate Professor

    The Glass research group studies the microbes that made Earth habitable, and, more specifically, the microbial mechanisms underpinning cryptic transformations of methane and nitrous oxide in oxygen-free ecosystems. Why focus on the microbial world? The Earth has been constantly inhabited for four billion years. For three-quarters of that time, life was solely microbial. Ancient microbes produced the gases that warmed the planet to clement temperatures when the sun was faint, and that invented the molecular machines that drive biogeochemical cycles. The co-evolution of Earth and life is woven into the fabric of our research group, which examines the interplay between microbes and the greenhouses gases that control planetary temperature. Our research informs the microbial metabolisms that (i) made the early Earth habitable for life, (ii) make the deep subsurface habitable for life, (iii) serve as biosignatures for life on exoplanets, and (iv) play crucial roles in regulating atmospheric fluxes of greenhouse gases on our warming planet.

    jennifer.glass@eas.gatech.edu

    404-894-3942

    Office Location:
    ES&T 1234

    Website

  • Related Site
  • Google Scholar

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Molecular Evolution
    • Use & Conservation
    Additional Research:
    Anaerobic oxidation of methane, Environmental controls on greenhouse gas cycling, with afocus on methane and nitrous oxide, in terrestrial and marineecosystems Biogeochemical cycles of bioessential trace elements Marine microbiology, with a focus on anaerobic metabolisms Influence of trace metal bioavailability on microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling Integrating omic and geochemical datasets Co-evolution of microbial metabolisms and ocean chemistry over Earthhistory,

    IRI Connections:

    Timothy Charles Lieuwen

    Timothy Charles Lieuwen

    Timothy Charles Lieuwen

    Executive Vice President for Research
    Regents' Professor

    Tim Lieuwen is the executive vice president for research (EVPR) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role, he oversees the Institute’s $1.37 billion portfolio of research, economic development, and sponsored activities. This includes leadership of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), the Enterprise Innovation Institute, nine interdisciplinary research institutes (IRIs), and related research administrative support units.

    In his 25-plus years at Georgia Tech, Lieuwen earned his master's and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering (1996 and 1999, respectively) and has held multiple leadership positions. He has been the executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) since 2012 and began serving as the interim chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering in 2023.

    Lieuwen has received numerous honors and recognition for his work in clean energy systems and policy, national security, and regional economic development. Additionally, he has been awarded the titles of Regents’ Professor and the David S. Lewis, Jr. Chair in AE. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

    tim.lieuwen@aerospace.gatech.edu

    (404) 894-3041

    Office Location:
    Guggenheim Building, Room 363

    Website

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Aerospace
    • Conventional Energy
    • Hydrogen Equity
    • Hydrogen Leadership
    • Hydrogen Utilization
    Additional Research:

    Acoustics; Fluid Mechanics; Combustion; Signal Processing


    IRI Connections:

    Vicki Birchfield

    Vicki Birchfield

    Vicki Birchfield

    Associate Professor
    Co-Director, Center for European and Transatlantic Studies

    Vicki L. Birchfield is a Professor in The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech, Co-Director of the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies and Director of the study abroad program on the European Union and Transatlantic Relations. Dr. Birchfield received a DES from the Graduate Institute of International Studies from the University of Geneva, Switzerland (1993) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Georgia (2000). She is the author of Income Inequality in Capitalist Democracies: The Interplay of Values and Institutions(Penn State University Press 2008), Triangular Diplomacy among the United States, The European Union, and The Russian Federation: Responses to the Crisis in Ukraine (Palgrave Macmillan 2017) co-edited with Alsadair Young, Reporting at the Southern Borders: Journalism and Public Debates in the US and the EU co-edited with Giovanna Dell'Orto (Routledge 2014) and Toward a Common EU Energy Policy: Problems, Progress, and Prospects(Palgrave Macmillan 2011) co-edited with John S. Duffield. She has published articles in International Studies Quarterly, European Journal of Political Research, the Review of International Studies, Journal of European Public Policy, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Globalizations, and the Review of International Political Economy. Her research and teaching specializations are European politics, the European Union, comparative politics, and international political economy. Other research and intellectual interests include the interplay of capitalism and democracy, social movements and the politics of globalization, and transatlantic relations. She has been a visiting scholar at Sciences Po, Paris and the University of Bordeaux and in 2012 was bestowed the honor of “Chevalier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite” (Knight in the National Order of Merit) by the French government.

    vicki.birchfield@inta.gatech.edu

    (404)385-0604

    Website

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Policy & Economics

    IRI Connections:

    Willie Belton

    Willie Belton

    Willie Belton

    Director of Undergraduate Programs
    Associate Professor

    Dr. Belton is an Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs in the School of Economics. Professor Belton’s initial training and research focus was on issues of monetary policy and how policy design and implementation impacts the cyclical behavior of the macro-economy. Currently, Professor Belton is involved in multidisciplinary analysis which examines the impact of political, cultural, and economic institutions on downstream outcomes of income distribution, business development, and social behavior. This research brings together issues of public policy, international affairs and economics to examine and developed much more broad theories of economic, political, and social development across ethnic groups and nation-states.

    willie.belton@econ.gatech.edu

    (404) 894-4903

    Office Location:
    Old CE Building, Room 238

    Economics Profile

    Research Focus Areas:
    • Policy & Economics

    IRI Connections: