Materials Science and Engineering to host lecture spotlighting polyelectrolyte complex materials
Sarah Perry, professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, will present “Polyelectrolyte complex materials” as part of the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s (MatSE) 590 Seminar series. The event will be held from 3:05 to 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, October 2 in 112 Kern Building on the University Park campus.
Perry’s presentation will explore her research of polyelectrolyte complex materials with the goal of establishing physics-informed molecular design rules to facilitate the use of polyelectrolyte complex materials in applications ranging from protective coatings to vaccine formulations.
Polyelectrolyte complexation leverages self-assembly in water to form materials that can range from polymer-dense liquids to glassy solids. While polymer-dense liquid complexes have a long history of industrial use, the potential for solid polyelectrolyte complex materials is less established, with traditional heuristics of polymer chemistry not always applying.
Perry and her research team use both bio-inspired, sequence-controlled peptides and traditional synthetic polymers to study how physicochemical properties influence phase behavior, mechanical performance, and responses to environmental stimuli. Their work seeks to build the scientific foundation necessary to inform the molecular design of next-generation polyelectrolyte complex materials. Perry’s research interests are highly interdisciplinary, and utilize self-assembly, molecular engineering, and microfluidic technologies to understand the fundamental principles behind materials design to inform solutions to real-world challenges. In recognition of her contributions to research and teaching,
Perry has received the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the 2024 ACS Macro Letters/Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award.
She earned bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry and a master’s degree from the University of Arizona. Perry went on to complete a doctoral degree in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago.
MatSE 590 Seminars are free and open to the Penn State community.
About MatSE 590 Seminar Series
The Fall 2025 MatSE 590 Seminar series offer graduate students, faculty, and the general public a dynamic schedule of lectures featuring invited speakers from academia and industry. This 1–3 credit colloquium provides a platform for sharing research, exploring emerging topics and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue in materials science and engineering.
Support for the MatSE 590 Seminars is made possible through the generous contributions of industry partners in the Friends of MatSE program.