Polymer Consultant and Polymer Physicist

Expertise

• International recognition in the understanding and prediction of structure-processing-morphology-property-performance relationships in polymers (thermoplastics, thermosets, and rubbers/elastomers); and in their blends, foams, films, coatings and composites.
• Polymer blends, foams, films, coatings, and composites.
• Fundamental physics of materials in specific classes of polymers and problem solving in the full range of industrial polymers.
• Product development, manufacturing processes, polymer material testing and characterization.
• Conventional composites and nano-composites designed for use in applications requiring extreme or unique performance characteristics by tailoring composition, morphology and properties at the nanometer length scale.
• Polymer materials modeling and simulation development through twenty years' as a technical leader in a multidisciplinary research and development industry.
• Technical background in polycarbonates, bisphenol-A polyesters, PET, polyethylenes, polypropylene, polyvinyls, polyvinylidenes, polyacrylates, poly(alkyl acrylates), polyacrylamides and ABS.
• Experience with polyureas, polyurethanes, thermosets (polyureas, polyurethanes, epoxies), elastomers (thermoplastic and crosslinked, amorphous and semicrystalline, polyurethane and polyolefin), rigid rodlike (liquid crystalline) polymers, biopolymers (cellulosics), and fillers (both conventional and nanoscale).
• Physical forms materials: Amorphous and semicrystalline polymers, solid and molten polymers, unmodified polymers, polymers used as matrix materials in composites, blends, composites, foams, gels, coatings, thin films, thick specimens, suspensions, and solutions.
• Technology assessments through report writing and presentations, identifying importance resulting in the development of sound strategic and tactical recommendations.
• Environmentally sustainable polymer and composite product development, use, and disposal.
• Science and technology of compatibilization and polymer impact modification of carbon nanotubes, nano-composites, dendrimers, biopolymers (polyhydroxyalkanoates), oleochemicals, and smart materials.
• Software development of commercial software for polymer modeling; SYNTHIA software module for quantitative structure-property relationships by Accelrys. Led development of additional software for polymer and composite modeling.

Formulation-Structure-Processing

• Prediction of formulation-structure-processing-morphology-property-performance relationships in polymers (thermoplastics, thermosets, and rubbers/elastomers); and in their blends, foams, films, coatings, and composites; and of the practical product and process implications of these complex relationships.
• Develop new or improved products as well as manufacturing processes, meeting the required material testing and characterization needs cost-effectively by ensuring that the most appropriate tests performed with maximum amount of valuable information is extracted.

Composites

• Conventional composites and nanocomposites (composites designed for use in applications requiring unique performance characteristics; by tailoring the composition, morphology and properties at the nanometer length scale).
• Prediction of properties, troubleshooting, composite performance, conceptualizing approaches to improve properties and performance characteristics.

Technology Assessment

• Technology assessment services assist clients at an early stage of entry into a new technology to derive commercial value. Recommendations from the assessment can provide both high-level strategic guidance and detailed tactical guidance into the client's exploration of new technology.
• Identification and the development of sound strategic and tactical recommendations, presentation of the findings both in writing and orally thorough, and effective, and timely manner. The relevant scientific literature, patent literature, and trade journal literature are all studied carefully during most technology assessments.
• Performed technology assessment assignments at Dow Chemical resulting in a major component of consulting practice with over 25 years in executing.
• Previous assessments include compatibilization of polymeric systems (polymers, blends, composites, and laminates), impact modification of polymeric systems, carbon nanotubes, nanoclays, nanocomposites, dendrimers, biopolymers (such as polyhydroxyalkanoates), oleochemicals, various textile technology areas, various polymer recycling technologies, plastics-to-fuel conversion technologies, and smart materials.
• Main deliverable of each technology assessment project is a detailed formal technology landscape report.
• Technical project management services are available to help clients build effective "win-win" collaborations in such instances.

Environmental Sustainability

• Provide clients enhancements in the environmental sustainability of their technologies by addressing numerous types of challenges:
• Utilizing three main areas of focus for enhancing environmental sustainability through polymer and composite materials science.
• Increasing the percentage of ingredients obtained or derived from environmentally friendly feedstocks used in manufacturing these products.
• Reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing processes.
• Improving the methods utilized for the disposal of used products and of scraps from product manufacturing processes.
• Improvement of manufacturing processes to use less energy, the utilization of fewer and preferably no environmentally damaging processing aids, and/or the reduction and preferably elimination of the creation of byproducts that cause pollution.
• Reducing the environmental impact of the disposal of used products and of scraps from product manufacturing processes is to convert them via mechanical and/or chemical recycling processes into recycled feedstocks.

Materials: Modeling-Simulation

• Materials modeling and simulation developed through implementation, and application of a broad range of polymer and composite modeling and simulation techniques.

Technical Project Management

• Leading the carbon nanotube opportunity assessment team, initiating and coordinating many multidisciplinary and multidepartmental projects, initiating, monitoring external research projects at universities and national laboratories, initiating, monitoring consulting arrangements with university professors, oversee supplier of commercial-quality materials modeling software.
• Assisting clients in initiating and monitoring external research projects at universities and national laboratories is a major component of consulting practice.

Technical Writing and Software Development

• Authorship of a book on polymer properties, editing of a conference proceedings volume on amorphous materials and another book on the computational modeling of polymers, service on the Editorial Board of three scientific journals on polymeric materials, and service as an Editorial Advisor in materials science and engineering to a major technical publisher (Marcel Dekker,
• Technical writing at Dow Chemical included many successful proposals for the funding of work at CR&D by various product departments.
• Development of commercial software for polymer modeling (released in 1993, continues to be sold as the BIOVIA Materials Studio Synthia software module for quantitative structure-property relationships). Also led development of various additional software for polymer and composite modeling used internally at Dow Chemical and by some clients.

Expert Witness

• Legal support as a consulting expert in patent infringement and product liability, providing analytical laboratory testing/characterization, and reports, addressing adversarial situations.

Experience

Independent Consultant, 2004 - Present

• Spanning a broad range of consulting expertise including general consulting in polymer and polymer composite science and technology.
• Technology assessment of polymer related problems.
• Expert witness, technical writing and editing, customized software development and presentation of short courses.

Dow Chemical, Midland, MI, Scientist, 1986 - 2004

Research and Development and Physical Sciences Laboratory

• Gradually increasing set of responsibilities and advancement up the technical ladder over the years, culminating in the senior technical leadership role indicated by the rank of "Scientist."
• Worked on a broad range of polymer and composite product research and development challenges.
• Highlights of work during this period included the development of the SYNTHIA software program implementing methods for predicting polymer properties commercialized globally by Dow Chemical through a licensing arrangement.

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., Troy, MI, Senior Research Scientist, 1982 - 1986

• Used theoretical chemistry and theoretical solid state physics to study advanced inorganic materials developed for photovoltaic, electrical and optical switching, and hydrogen storage applications.

University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, Post-doctoral Research Fellow, 1981 - 1982

• Research areas: Theory of molecular electronic structure, dynamics of molecular rearrangements, and ab initio quantum mechanical calculations on specific systems.

Turkish Air force, Izmir, Turkey, Software Development, 1979 - 1981

• Translated technical instruction manuals on military telecommunications and electronics from English into Turkish.

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• American Physical Society
• American Chemical Society
• Materials Research Society

American Society of Mechanical Engineers-ASME,(a standards member of the developing body)

Publications and Patents

• Technical writing and editing, authorship of two books (on polymer properties and computational modeling), editing of conference proceedings volume on amorphous materials.
• Editorial Board of three scientific journals on polymeric materials.
• Editorial Advisor in materials science and engineering to a major technical publisher.
• Technical writing at Dow Chemical included many successful proposals for the funding of work at CR&D by various product departments.
• Author of additional subjects in biomaterials, polyhdroxyalkanoates, oleochemicals, and poly, (lactic acid) creating over 170 internal reports at Dow Chemical.
• 70 scientific publications over a vast range of materials science and technology.
• Patent applications (pending) on polyurethanes containing reinforcing fillers.
• 29 issued U.S. patents, the vast majority (26) of which were obtained in recent years, (all commercial rights assigned to clients)); and several additional patents pending.

Education

• Ph.D. Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
• M.S. Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
• B.A. Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL