Professor Colina utilizes the fusion of materials and computational sciences to obtain solutions to problems that were previously intractable. This fusion creates the opportunity to engineer materials for applications to separations, sensors, microelectronics, drug delivery, and biomaterials. Her group uses materials theory, modeling and computer simulation, with methods ranging from molecular-based equations of state, with a rigorous statistical mechanics basis, to high-performance computer modeling. Her group also has a synergetic relationship with experimentalists, and several national and international collaborative programs, such as: The University of Manchester and Cardiff University, U.K. Professor Colina’s current areas of research fall into three areas. The first area aims for understanding the structure of nanoporous polymers (NPs) for use in applications that exploit their surface chemistry that can range from catalysis, sensors and gas storage to separations. The second area is the improvement of polymer-based processes by gaining a fundamental understanding of polymeric materials. She is developing new methodologies for predicting the effect of specific interactions (self and cross-association) of polymeric materials and their environment. The third area is certain aspects of human pathology associated with a number of diseases, such as hemophilia B and von Willebrand disease. She is studying the growth and dynamics of macromolecular aggregates when proteins dock in a highly orientated manner. Her research interests in this area span a wide range of applications, from structural biochemistry to biosensors.