Living Materials Laboratory:
People
Leadership Team
The highly interdisciplinary nature of the research at the Living Materials Laboratory is exemplified by the diverse backgrounds of the researchers and students — both current and past — who choose to work here.
Principal Investigator
Wil V. Srubar III, PhD
Professor, University of Colorado Boulder
Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering Program
PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
MS, Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
BS, Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University
Research Associate
Dr. Giulia Brachi
PhD, Bioengineering, Politecnico di Torino
MSc, Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di torino
BSc, Mechanical Engineering, Università degli Studi di Firenze
Research project
Engineered Living Materials
Research purpose
I have always been passionate about nature-inspired technologies, and love developing engineered living materials. By harnessing synthetic biology with materials science, we can create sustainable living systems that can sense and respond to the surrounding environment.
Research Associate
Dr. Samuel J. Armistead
PhD, Chemistry, The University of Sheffield
MChem, Chemistry, The University of Sheffield
Research project
3D printed Biopolymer-stabilized Earthen Materials & Structures
Research purpose
Earthen construction materials are experiencing a renaissance in light of the climate crisis. To engineer high-performance sustainable and durable earthen materials for the 21st century, the importance of chemistry and biology cannot be underestimated. Within this project, I am pioneering new high-throughput experimental tools, which can decode the molecular driving forces to structural property improvement, for 3D printed biopolymer-stabilized earthen materials and structures. This project is at the interface between chemistry, biology, material science and architectural engineering.
Laboratory Manager
Matthew Hamilton Fyfe
MS, Civil Engineering, Queen’s University
BS, Environmental Science & Biology, Mount Allison University
Working in the Living Materials Lab is a wonderful opportunity to blend my interests in ecology and environmental science with reseach projects that ambitiously investigate how we can improve the sustainability of the built environment. It's a joy to assist and learn from the very talented and multidiciplinary personnel in this group.
Laboratory Labrador
Cooper
As the lab's lab, I'm excited to assist this team by fetching new ideas and chasing a greener future.
Current Postdoctoral Associates
Danielle Beatty, PhD
PhD, Materials Science and Engineeriny, University of Colorado Boulder
MS, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah
BS, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Utah
Research project
Algae-produced CaCO3 for cement production
Research purpose
Concrete is the second most used material on earth (behind water). As a Materials Scientist, I want to explore better ways to make our most used materials - in this case, using biology to grow fancy minerals for cement production.
Yuhuan Wang, PhD
PhD, Civil Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology
MS, Polymer Chemistry and Physics, Southwest University
Research project
Living Light, Living Surfaces, and Living Structures for Space Architecture
Research purpose
Current Graduate Students
Bex Mikofsky, PhD Candidate, Materials Science and Engineering
BS, Materials Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology
Research project
Clay-biopolymer interactions for carbon-storing 3D-printed earth
Research purpose
By studying earthen materials, I am working towards the ultimate goal of a sustainable built environment while also being able to say "I play with mud all day". By adding biopolymers, we create a complex system with many deep materials science mysteries that I am attempting to solve.
Austin Dada, PhD Student, Civil Engineering
MS, Civil Engineering, University of Alabama Birmingham
BS, Civil Engineering, University of Alabama Birmingham
Research project
Embodied Carbon of Biochar Concrete Mixes
Research purpose
I’m researching the embodied carbon of biochar embedded concrete mixes to better understand the global warming potential of novel cement replacements in concrete.
LinkedIn »
Joy Edwin-Ezeh, PhD Student, Materials Science and Engineering
BEng, Metallurgical &Materials Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Akure
Research project
Living lichen-inspired surfaces for indoor air quality
Research purpose
I'm pursuing this research because I'm passionate about using nature's resourcefulness to solve modern problems. With their incredible capacity to thrive in various conditions, lichens provide an exciting blueprint for creating surfaces that can improve indoor air quality. I hope to improve living spaces and contribute to a healthier environment by researching and reproducing their natural mechanisms. My curiosity about biomaterials motivates me to create and find solutions that not only improve human living conditions but also promote a more sustainable future.
Jess McKean, PhD Student, Materials Science & Engineering
MS, Geoenvironmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde
BS, Chemical Engineering, Villanova University
Research project
Engineered Living Materials
Research purpose
After spending some time working in the biotech industry, my fundamental drive for contributing to a more sustainable future called me back to academia. I couldn’t help but feel that we were truly limiting ourselves by localizing the incredible technology arising within biotech to just the medical field. Why couldn’t we use biology to make our buildings, sidewalks and otherwise inert materials into responsive living materials? My work embraces creative and interdisciplinary ideas to engineer living organisms into sustainable and dynamic materials that have potential to transform our built environment.
LinkedIn »
August Organschi, PhD Student, Civil Engineering
BS, Economics & Psychology, The University of the South
Research project
Embodied Energy and Embodied Carbon Analysis
Research purpose
Working as a GC for multifamily high-rise buildings, I watched three full 15-yard dumpsters get hauled away biweekly. The amount of waste on the average construction site is staggering - not to mention the waste of a building once it reaches the end of its service life. In the standing building stock, there is high value structural material that will meet the end of its life before it reaches the end of its potential service life. I aim to address the waste in the construction industry by investigating methods to quantify the structural members of existing building stock, scale methods of deconstruction, and promoting end-of-life thinking during the design phase.
Current Undergraduate and Accelerated Masters' Students
Olivia Campsie, BS Chemical and Biological Engineering Student
Maneesh Gundluru, BS Aerospace Engineering Student
Former Postdoctoral Research Associates
Caitlin Adams, PhD, Visiting Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Cheng Pau Lee, PhD
Jonathan Broyles, PhD, MCSC Impact Fellow at MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium
Lamiya Noor, PhD, Materials Specialist at Bauer Foundation
Cansu Acarturk, PhD
Sarah Williams, PhD, CEO, Minus Materials, Inc.
Jie Ren, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Civil Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder
Chelsea Heveran, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Montana State University
Jaqueline Wallat, PhD, Process Scientist, BASF
Kristen Hess, PhD, Associate, Exponent, Inc.
Xu Chen, PhD, Associate Professor, Huazhong University of Science and Technology
Elizabeth Delesky, PhD, Tynt Technologies
Shane Frazier, PhD, Newell Brands
Former Doctoral Students
Martín Torres, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Center for the Built Environment
Matt Jungclaus, PhD, LCA Consultant
Danielle Beatty, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Colorado Boulder
Melissa Frey, PhD, Associate, Exponent Inc.
Sarah Williams, PhD, CEO, Minus Materials
Jay Arehart, PhD, Instructor, University of Colorado Boulder
Mohammad Matar, PhD, US Bureau of Reclamation
Shane Frazier, PhD, Newell Brands
Anastasia Aday, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Kyle Foster, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Elizabeth Delesky, PhD, Tynt Technologies
Kristen Hess, PhD, Associate, Exponent, Inc.
Juan Pablo Gevaudan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Architectural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University
Former Master’s Students
Kale Dohrman, University of Colorado, MS 2026
Megan Quinn, University of Colorado, MS 2025
Eleanor Taylor, University of Colorado MS 2025
Isabel Popke Russell, University of Colorado MS 2024
Nicolas Dowdy, University of Colorado, MS 2023
Rollin Jones, University of Colorado, MS 2022
Maja Sagaser, University of Colorado, MS 2021
Brenton Krieger, University of Colorado, MS 2020
Nate Deanda, University of Colorado, MS 2020
Sheela Vedula, University of Colorado, MS 2019
Ryan White, University of Colorado, MS 2019
Elvin Viloria, University of Colorado, MS 2019
Kaia Noonan, University of Colorado, MS 2019
Jorge Osio-Norgaard, University of Colorado, MS 2019
Zoey Craun, University of Colorado, MS 2018
Libby Coleman, University of Colorado, MS 2018
Morgan Talmage, University of Colorado, MS 2017
Sarah Hong, University of Colorado, MS 2017
Nathan Stambaugh, University of Colorado, MS 2017
Adriana Souto-Martinez, University of Colorado, MS 2017
Matthew Rankins, University of Colorado, MS 2016
Denise Mauney, University of Colorado, MS 2016
Carson Brown, University of Colorado, MS 2016
Sean Hinchcliffe, University of Colorado, MS 2015
Todd Bergman, University of Colorado, MS 2015
Patrick Barnhouse, University of Colorado, MS 2015
Former Undergraduate Students
Conall Soon, University of Colorado, BS 2026
Simon Cox, University of Colorado, BS 2026
Jadyn Anderson, University of Colorado, BS 2026
Brooklyn Lash, University of Colorado, BS 2024
Madalyn Murphy, University of Colorado, BS 2023
Nicholas Grant, University of Colorado, BS 2022
Aparna Lobo, University of Colorado, BS 2021
Reilly Fagan, University of Colorado, BS 2021
Michael Heine, University of Colorado, BS 2020
Matthew Bedeaux, University of Colorado, BS 2020
Briana Santa-Ana, University of Colorado, BS 2020
Will Nelson, University of Colorado, BS 2018
Kendra Bannister, University of Colorado, BS 2018
Ethan Ellingboe, University of Colorado, BS 2018
Jonathan Stuckenschneider, University of Colorado, BS 2017
Alec Gordon, University of Colorado, BS 2017
Luke Traeger, University of Colorado, BS 2016
Danielle Dorr, University of Colorado, BS 2016
Torin McCue, University of Colorado, BS 2016
Eliot Kersgaard, University of Colorado, BS 2016
Former Staff
Nilanjana Mazumdar, PhD
Marimikel Charrier, PhD