POLYMER SOLUTIONS AND GELS GROUP
Carlos G. Lopez
Dr Lopez received his BSc and MSci in experimental and theoretical Physics from the university of Cambridge in 2010, and his Ph.D in Chemical engineering from Imperial College London, under the supervision of prof. Joao T. Cabral. His graduate research focused on understanding the properties of polyelectrolytes in solution using rheological and neutron scattering techniques. Dr. Lopez worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Germany, first at the university of Paderborn and then at RWTH Aachen University, where he became a group leader in 2020. His work during that time combined fundamental research into the self-assembly of intermediate filament proteins, microgel thermodynamics, and the rheology of polymer solutions with industrial projects on dye transfer inhibition and perfume deposition in laundry detergents. He joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Penn State in 2024 as an assistant professor, where his research focuses on the structure and rheology of various soft matter systems, including polyelectrolyte solutions, poly(ionic liquid) gels and colloidal dispersions.
Lingzi Meng (June 2024-present)
Lingzi received a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials and Nanoscience from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Materials Physics from Hefei University of Technology, China in 2020. After that, she received her Master of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University in 2022. Currently, she’s a PhD. Student in Materials Science and Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, under the supervision of Prof. Carlos Lopez. Her research interests are related to the influence of solvent properties on the behaviors of polyelectrolytes and the investigation of the dynamics of polyelectrolytes. She enjoys hanging out and playing games with friends during her free time.
Can Hou (Nov 2021-present)
Can Hou graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA and MSci in Natural Sciences, with a specialisation in physics. He is currently a PhD. student at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, under the supervision of Prof. CG Lopez and Prof. W Richtering. His current research interests are the rheology, structural properties and solubility of polyelectrolytes in solution, with a particular focus on the influence of mixed solvent systems and different counterions. Prior to his admission to the PhD. program, he worked as a software engineer in quality control at VividQ Ltd, a start-up that designs software framework for holographic displays. In his spare time, he has a keen interest in Eastern Slavic culture and literature.
Anish Gulati (Nov 2020-present)
Anish Gulati received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, India. Following this, he completed his MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester, UK. Currently he is working a PhD student at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University. He is carrying out his doctoral research co-supervised by Prof. CG Lopez and Prof. W. Richtering. His current research is focused on the study of behaviour and conformation of polyelectrolytes in solution, using rheology, conductivity and small-angle scattering techniques. Before pursuing a research career, he worked as an engineer at ITC Limited. In his free time, he enjoys travelling, hiking and reading.
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