Principal Investigator
Bradley D. Olsen
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Google Scholar
Email: bdolsen@mit.edu
Biography
CV
Postdoctoral Associates
Zixian Cui
(Fall 2024-present) Understanding the thermodynamics and phase behavior of peptides and proteins.
Email: zixian22@mit.edu
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia (2024)
M.S. Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (2017)
B.S. Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (2016)
Hometown: Beijing, China
Jignesh S. Mahajan
(Fall 2024-Present) Working on sustainable polymer discovery using high-throughput experimentation.
Email: jmahajan@mit.edu
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware (2024)
M.Tech. Polymer Science and Technology, IIT Delhi (2018)
B.Tech. Chemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology Mumbai (2016)
Hometown: Jalgaon, India
Masashi Ohira
(Spring 2025 - present) Email:mohira@mit.edu
Ph.D. Bioengineering, The University of Tokyo (2023)
M.S. Chemistry, The University of Tokyo (2020)
B.S. Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science (2018)
Hometown: Kasama, Japan
Raashiq Ishraaq
(Summer 2026 - present) Using computational modeling to study the formation, structure, and dynamics of polymer networks.
Email:ishraaq@mit.edu
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland Collegepark (2026)
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (2019)
Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Graduate Students
Gabrielle Godbille-Cardona
(Spring 2023-Present) Working on polymer biodegradation by environmental microorganisms and its structure-property relationships.
Google Scholar
Email: gfgod@mit.edu
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Queen's University (2020)
Hometown: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Brian Carrick
(Spring 2023-Present) Studying the molecular-scale structure and dynamics of polymer networks and intrinsically disordered proteins.
Google Scholar
Email: bcarrick@mit.edu
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota (2022)
Hometown: Red Wing, Minnesota
Zhi Kai Tio
(Spring 2024-Present) Engineering blood component.
Google Scholar
Email: zktio@mit.edu
B.E. & M.E. Chemical Engineering
National University of Singapore (2023)
Hometown: Singapore
Hannah Uhl
(Spring 2025 - present) Developing theory and models for thermodynamic property prediction of polymer solutions and studying how this extends to biological systems.
Google Scholar
Email: huhl@mit.edu
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Kansas (2024)
Hometown: Sheldon, Iowa
Huixuan Guo
(Spring 2026 - present) Exploring novel scientific applications of the BigSMILES line notation, drawing insights from formal language theory in Computer Science.
Google Scholar
Email: hx650@mit.edu
B.E. Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (2025)
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Alexander Bentley
(Spring 2026 - present) Working on the development of bio-derived biodegradable polymers and am building an automated polymerization flow reactor.
Google Scholar
Email: alexb22@mit.edu
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan (2025)
Hometown: Linden, Michigan
Undergraduates
Samantha Phillips
(Spring 2026 - present) Email:samphil@mit.edu
Expected degree: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, MIT
Hometown: Maine
Visiting Students
Nils Marcussen
Bioconjugation of modified proteins and polymers, to develop dielectric elastomers with structure-property design rules for next-generation soft actuator materials.
Email:nilejm@mit.edu
Expected degree: PhD in Chemistry at Technical University of Denmark (2027)
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark