Position
Dean of the Graduate School

Role
Associate Director, Princeton Center for Complex Materials (PCCM)

Title
Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Office Phone
609-258-5721

Email
rpriestl@princeton.edu

Assistant
Jacqueline Armstrong

Office
A417 Engineering Quad

Website
http://priestley.princeton.edu

CV
priestley_cv.pdf

Degrees
Ph.D., Northwestern University, 2008
B.S., Texas Tech University, 2003

Advisee(s):
Nick Caggiano
Jason Liu
Katelyn Randazzo
Joanna Schneider
Douglas Scott
Yejoon Seo
Sneha Srinivasan




Bio/Description

Honors and Awards

ACS Macro Letters/Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award, 2020
American Physical Society Dillon Medal, 2020
World Economic Forum Young Global Scientist, 2018
Moore Inventor Fellow Finalist, 2017
Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor Fellowship, 2017
AICHE MSED Owens Corning Early Career Award, 2017
Distinguished Lecturer of the Graduate School at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2015
Named to The Root 100 list of most influential African Americans, 2014
Named ASEE list of 20 under 40 Inspiring Young Faculty, 2014
Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp Lecturer at Purdue University, 2014
NAE Frontiers of Engineering Symposium Invitee, 2014
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2014
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2014
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2013
UK PPG/APS DPOLY Exchange Lecturer, 2013
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education Emerging Scholar, 2013
Howard B. Wentz, Jr. Junior Faculty Award, 2012
AFOSR Young Investigator Award, 2012
NSF CAREER Award, 2011
3M Non-Tenured Faculty Grant, 2010
ACS Young Investigator Award, 2009

Affiliations

Associated Faculty, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials

Research Interests

Work in the?Priestley Laboratory?applies principles of physics, chemistry and engineering towards nanoscale processing and characterization of polymers and soft matter with particular emphasis on thin films, colloids, and nanocomposites. Our work aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how processing combined with confinement and interfacial effects modify materials properties, and how these modifications can be exploited for new materials design. Our work strongly influences the use polymers in thin film for membranes and coatings; nanocomposites as advanced materials; colloids for stabilization, delivery of active ingredients and molecular building blocks. We also endeavor to engage in the use sustainable materials and green processing.
Theme: Glass formation and glassy behavior of polymer thin films and nanocomposites
How does irreversible adsorption alter the glass transition dynamics of polymer thin films and nanocomposites?
Characterization and tuning of deformation at polymer-polymer interfaces
Diffusion at the interface of amorphous polymer thin films
Polymer/graphene nanocomposites: sustainable materials and processing
Theme: Physical vapor deposition of macromolecules
Formation of nanostructured and stable amorphous polymer films
Additive growth and crystallization of polymer thin films
Polymer-polymer alloying by MAPLE deposition
Theme: Scalable and sustainable formation, and application of polymer-based colloids
Production of patchy and Janus colloids by Flash NanoPrecipitation
Hybrid Janus colloids as next generation surfactants and catalyst
Production of capsules for protecting ingredients by Spinning Polymer into Nanocapsules (SPIN)
Reactive-FNP for encapsulation of active ingredients
Structured colloids as adhesives

Selected Publications
D. Christie, R.A. Register, R.D. Priestley, Direct Measurement of the Local Glass Transition in Self-Assembled Copolymers with One Nanometer Resolution, ACS Central Science, 4, 504 (2018)
L.S. Grundy, V.E. Lee, N. Li, C. Sosa, W.D. Mulhearn, R. Liu, R.A. Register, A. Nikoubashman, R.K. Prudhomme, A.Z. Panagiotopoulos, R.D. Priestley, Rapid Production of Internally Structured Colloids by Flash NanoPrecipitation of Block Copolymer Blends, ACS Nano, 12, 4660 (2018)
H. Jeong, S. Napolitano, C.B. Arnold, R.D. Priestley, Irreversible Adsorption Controls Crystallization in Vapor Deposited Polymer Thin Films, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 8, 229 (2017)
M.J. Burroughs, S. Napolitano, D. Cangialosi, R.D. Priestley, Direct Measurement of Interfacial Effects on Exposed and Buried Adsorbed Nanolayer Glass Transition Temperature in Polymer Thin Films, Macromolecules, 49, 4647 (2016)
C. Sosa, R. Liu, C. Tang, F. Qu, M. Bazant, R.K. Prudhomme, R.D. Priestley, Soft-Multi-faced Colloids by Constrained Volume Self-Assembly, Macromolecules, 49, 3580 (2016)

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Research Areas
Complex Materials and Processing
Energy and Environment