Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Tel: 215-537-3608
Email: cosuji@seas.upenn.edu Research Website | Publications
Dr. Osuji is a Professor, and Chair, in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and a secondary member of the faculty in Materials Science and Engineering, at University of Pennsylvania. He came to Penn in 2018 after 11 years on the faculty in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale. Prof. Osuji currently serves as an Associate Editor for Macromolecules and a member of the Board of Directors of the Materials Research Society (2021–2024).
Soft materials and complex fluids are ubiquitous in natural and synthetic systems. Our interests lie in understanding and controlling the structure and dynamics of such soft matter. Through studies focused on interfacial phenomena, directed self-assembly, rheology and microfluidics, we advance structure-property relationships in colloidal suspensions, liquid crystals, surfactants, polymers and biological materials. We employ microscopy (optical, electron, atomic force), scattering (visible light, x-ray), rheology and other methods, along with some basic polymer and small molecule synthesis. Our focus is on fundamental aspects, but many of the systems we study have interesting applications as functional materials. We are particularly motivated by applications in clean water and clean energy generation, analytical separations, nanomaterials synthesis and engineering better complex fluids in many forms. Current efforts include: (1) Directing self-assembly of soft mesophases using magnetic and optical fields; (2) Elucidating transport in precise, highly ordered nanoporous membranes with 1 nm scale pores for water purification and electrochemical devices; (3) Phase behavior and liquid demixing of liquid crystals; (4) Autonomous experimentation; (5) Rheology of cellulose and particulate suspensions.
Soft Matter and Complex Fluids; Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology; Energy and Environmental Engineering
Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2003) B.S.: Cornell University (1996)
2022 Prince Sultan Bin Adbulaziz International Prize for Water 2021 Intel Outstanding Researcher Award 2020 Costel Denson Distinguished Lecture, Lehigh University 2019 Nano Research Young Investigator Award 2018 Fellow of the American Physical Society 2018 Racheff Lecturer, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 2016 Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Mentor Award 2015 Hendrick C. Van Ness Award 2015 American Physical Society John H. Dillon Medal Lange Lectureship, Materials Department, UCSB, Feb. 2013 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 2012 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, 2012 Dow Distinguished Lectureship, UCSB Materials Research Lab, Feb. 2011 Yale College Arthur Greer Memorial Prize 2010 National Science Foundation CAREER award, 2008
