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Selected research

Inside the
material.

From biological self-healing to low-carbon binders, I combine experiments and models to connect material mechanisms with useful performance.

01Bio-inspired materials

Can a crack trigger
its own repair?

Multifunctional bioFibers bring reinforcement and bacteria-enabled healing into one engineered system.

Explore bioFiber

The question

How can a fiber control cracking and deliver biological healing agents where damage occurs?

My contribution

I developed bacteria-laden polymeric fibers and investigated how their architecture links fiber–matrix interactions, microbial activity, and crack-filling performance. Related work examined mechanical and fracture behavior and recovery following healing.

Drexel / NSF · 2021–2024; structural evaluation at FHWA · 2024

Read the science

Development of bioFiber · 2023Carbonate biomineralization · 2024Crack-filling performance · 2026
02Thermal response

Can concrete help
regulate temperature?

Architected vascular networks and phase-change materials take inspiration from biological thermoregulation.

Explore vascular composites

The question

How can internal architecture give a structural material a passive thermal function?

My contribution

I worked on vascular self-thermal responsive cementitious composites, connecting network architecture with mechanical behavior and thermal response to investigate passive thermal management in buildings.

Collaborative research · Drexel · 2023–2024

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Vascular thermal composites · 2025
03Measurement science

New binders.
Better measurements.

Traceable chemical, phase, and thermal measurements help explain the behavior of low-carbon cementitious systems.

Explore materials characterization

The question

What measurements make emerging binder chemistries understandable and their performance predictions defensible?

My contribution

My ongoing work combines controlled characterization, uncertainty quantification, and thermodynamic modeling to translate measurements into quantitative material properties and support predictive materials design.

NIST / Johns Hopkins · Ongoing

04Degradation & mechanics

How does corrosion shape
structural performance?

Coupled experiments and models connect corrosion, reaction-induced stress, and the evolution of material damage.

Explore corrosion & modeling

The question

How do coupled chemical, transport, electrochemical, and mechanical processes govern degradation?

My contribution

I develop an integrated experimental and computational framework for cementitious systems, with emphasis on steel passivation, corrosion initiation and propagation, and reaction–stress coupling.

NIST / Johns Hopkins · Ongoing

Foundations

Different systems.
Connected questions.

2021–2022

Industrial byproducts, new possibilities

Thermodynamics-guided conversion of off-spec coal ash into lightweight aggregates for sustainable construction.

Selected publication
2021–2022

Protection through material chemistry

Soybean-based surface treatments, pore blocking, and the suppression of calcium oxychloride formation in concrete.

Selected publication
2017–2019

Composites under heat

Experiments and probabilistic models connecting thermal exposure to the mechanical performance of FRP systems.

Selected publication
2015–2019

Reliability at infrastructure scale

Probabilistic modeling of concrete dams, including thermal stresses and dam–reservoir–foundation interactions.

Selected publication

Explore the complete publication record.

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