Two Drexel Materials PhD alumni have achieved associate professor status and tenure at their respective universities.
Jessica Schiffman
Dr. Jessica Schiffman, PhD ‘09 (advisor: Caroline Schauer) was awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, effective September 1, 2017.
Jessica joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in 2011 after a postdoctoral associate appointment in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University. Her research areas include renewable polymers, green materials synthesis, antibacterial surfaces, wound dressings, and ultrafiltration membranes. Her work employs the materials properties of renewable biopolymers and bioactive products for the sustainable synthesis of novel nanostructures. Current applications of interest include antibiofilm coatings, nanofiber scaffolds for wound healing, as well as membranes that selectively remove contaminants. Her research is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing influences from chemical engineering, materials science engineering, environmental engineering, and microbiology.
Aaron Sakulich
Dr. Aaron Sakulich, BS ‘05, PhD ’10, (advisor: Michel Barsoum) has been awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
Aaron joined the WPI faculty in 2012 after completing a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Michigan and working as a guest researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technologies under the National Research Council’s Research Associateship Program. His research focuses on developing more durable materials for use in infrastructure to lower the need for maintenance, improve safety, and reduce environmental impact. One ongoing project involves protecting rebar in reinforced concrete from corrosion by using a compound derived from cinnamon. He is Co-Director of WPI’s Panama Project Center and has served as a faculty advisor at the Morocco Project Center.