Prof. Valeria Tohver Milam
Associate Professor, Georgia Insitutute of Technology
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Valeria Tohver Milam is an associate professor in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her B.S. degree in MSE from the University of Florida and both her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Following a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, she joined Georgia Tech as an assistant professor. Her research explores oligonucleotides as recognition-based macromolecular materials. Currently, her research focuses on competition-based screening and characterizing composition-structure-binding relationships in functional oligonucleotides called aptamers. Though similar in function to antibodies, aptamers have several advantages including their cell-free generation, longer shelf-life, and reversible denaturation capabilities. Her research awards include a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award, NSF CAREER Award (2009), 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, AFRL Summer Faculty Fellowship (2011), and a NSF Mid-Career Advancement Award (2023). Her teaching awards include a Lockheed Martin Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence (2005), and Faculty Excellence in Teaching awarded by Women in Engineering (WIE) (2008).
Dr. Tomonori Saito
Distinguished R&D Staff at ORNL
Dr. Tomonori Saito is a distinguished R&D staff scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and a joint faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a synthetic polymer chemist (Ph.D. 2008 Virginia Tech), who has extensive experience in synthesis and various applications of well-defined polymers. He currently leads various polymer science projects at ORNL including polymer upcycling, vitrimer composites, self-healing materials, building materials, polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries, fuel cells and flow batteries, and many others. He has published more than 145 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 54), 16 patents issued (several were licensed.), won R&D 100 in 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and FLC award in 2025, as well as received the inventor of the year by Battelle in 2023, and elected for Battelle distinguished inventor in 2024.
Prof. Dennis Smith
Professor, Mississippi State University
Dr. Smith is Professor of Chemistry and Co-Founder of Hand Technologies LLC at Mississippi State University (MSU). He is immediate past Department Head and immediate past Director of the Advanced Composites Institute at MSU. Dr. Smith received a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Missouri State University (1988) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Florida under the direction of Prof. Ken Wagener (1992). He was a Rhone-Poulenc Graduate Research Fellow in Lyon, France; Dow Chemical post-doctoral Fellow in Rheinmünster, Germany; Dow Sr. Research Chemist, Dow Project Leader (TX & MI); and elected Chair, Brazosport Local ACS Section before joining Clemson University as Assistant Professor in 1998. Dr. Smith was Professor of Chemistry and Material Science & Engineering, Center co-founder and Director at Clemson, Co-Founder of Tetramer Technologies, LLC; Visiting Professor at University of Heidelberg, Robert A. Welch Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Material Science & Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas; Director of NSF-I/UCRCs; elected Chair, ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry; elected Titular Officer of IUPAC Polymer Division, founder of ACS Polymer Division conference series, FLUOROPOLYMER (2000-present); Editor, J. Nanosci. & Tech.; Assoc. Editor, Frontiers in Chemistry; Assoc. Editor, Research (AAAS / Science Partner); past Editor, Polymer Bulletin, and several other journal editorial boards. He is Fellow of the American Chemical Society, IUPAC Fellow, Cottrell Scholar of Research Corporation, and ACS Charles Stone Award winner. Prof. Smith has published 158 refereed journal articles (H=53), 25+ US patents issued or pending, 5 book editorships, 300+ conference papers, and 200+ invited lectures in 23 countries. He has graduated 25 Ph.D., 8 M.S. students, and mentored 20+ post-doctoral, and 80+ undergraduate, foreign exchange, and high school students and science teachers. Dr. Smith is a board director, active consultant for organic & materials chemistry, entrepreneurship, and expert opinion
Prof. Brent Sumerlin
George Bergen Butler Chair,
University of Florida
Brent Sumerlin is the George Bergen Butler Chair in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida. He received his undergraduate degree from North Carolina State University in 1998 and later earned his PhD in Polymer Science & Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi under the guidance of Charles McCormick. After completing his PhD, Sumerlin worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor/Postdoctoral Research Associate at Carnegie Mellon University under Krzysztof Matyjaszewski. In 2005, he took a faculty position at Southern Methodist University before moving to the University of Florida in 2012. Sumerlin is an associate editor for ACS Macro Letters and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry. He has received awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, NSF CAREER Award, ACS Leadership Development Award, Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award, Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award, the Hanwha-Total IUPAC Award, Mark Scholar Award, and the UF Doctoral Dissertation Mentoring/Advising Award
Prof. Jason Locklin
Professor, Department of Chemistry,
University of Georgia
Dr. Locklin is committed to producing bright, well-rounded graduates by exposing his students to multi-disciplinary research. He has been awarded the Central Intelligence Agency Young Investigator Award (2007) and the NSF CAREER Award (2010). In addition, Dr. Locklin is the founding director of the University of Georgia New Materials Institute and a key player in UGA’s partnership with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a public-private partnership funded partially by a $75 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Defense. AFFOA’s goal is to accelerate innovation involving fibers and textiles through advances in manufacturing and engineering.
Prof. Yong Lin Kong
Assistant Professor, Rice University
Prof. Yong Lin Kong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Rice University. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2016 and was a postdoctoral associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before joining Rice University, he joined the University of Utah in 2018 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2024. Yong Lin’s research focuses on the additive manufacturing of nanomaterial-based functional devices and biomedical devices. He has been awarded patents in “3D printed active electronic materials and devices”, “3D printed multi-functional hybrid devices and structures”, and “gastric resident electronics.” He is a recipient of the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program (ONR YIP) Award, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Trailblazer Award, Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Discovery Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, SPIE Rising Researcher Award, ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, TMS Young Leaders Professional Development Award, MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Asia Award, and the University of Utah College of Engineering Top Undergraduate Teachers & Top Graduate Teachers Awards.
Prof. Sara M. Hashmi
Assistant Professor, Northeastern University
Prof. Sara M. Hashmi is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University, with affiliations in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and Chemistry & Chemical Biology. Prof. Hashmi obtained her bachelors degree in physics and masters and PhD degrees in chemical engineering. Following postdoctoral research studying colloidal phenomena in petroleum, Prof. Hashmi directed the campus-wide Facility for Light Scattering at Yale University. At Northeastern, her research focuses on “flowing soft materials through small spaces.” The Hashmi Complex Fluids Labs studies flows of complex fluids, soft and active materials through confined geometries on both the micro- and macro-scale. The research reveals fundamental fluid dynamic principles and applies them to real world applications. Prof. Hashmi has been awarded an NSF CAREER Award and Northeastern University awards for excellence in teaching and mentoring.
Prof. Rong Yang
Assistant Professor, Cornel University
Dr. Rong Yang is an Assistant Professor at the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Cornell University. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2009 from Tsinghua University in Beijing and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 2012 and 2014. Her research lies at the intersection of materials and life sciences, focusing on all-dry polymer manufacturing techniques, functional nano- and/or living materials with controlled morphology and reactivity, and their application in drug delivery, infectious disease treatment, and environmental sustainability. Her work has been recognized by the NIH Pathway to Independence Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, among others
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