ChE Seminar: William A. Phillip, University of Notre Dame “High-Throughput Membrane Characterization to Guide Materials and Process Innovation at the Water-Energy Nexus”

ChE Seminar: William A. Phillip, University of Notre Dame “High-Throughput Membrane Characterization to Guide Materials and Process Innovation at the Water-Energy Nexus”

Sponsoredby the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringHost: JessicaSchiffmanschiffman@umass.edu413-545-6143 William A. Phillip University of Notre Dame “High-ThroughputMembrane Characterization to Guide Materials and Process Innovation at theWater-Energy Nexus” Tuesday, February 24, 2026, 11:30 a.m.201 LGRT, UMass Amherst(Refreshmentsat 11:15 a.m.) Abstract:Membranes represent a versatileseparations platform with the potential to help deliver sustainable supplies offood, water, medicine, and energy to the growing global population. Realizingthis potential requires overcoming barriers spanning the molecular to systemsscales. To address this challenge, we have developed an automated diafiltrationdevice that dramatically reduces the time and resources needed to characterizemembrane transport properties. This platform enables rapid, high-throughputtesting over a wide range of feed compositions. When paired with the tools ofdata science, it accelerates both materials discovery and process optimization.The integration of automation and analytics provides real-time insights intoseparation mechanisms, reducing hands-on experimental time from 50 hours tojust 40 minutes, while distinguishing between adsorption and rejection-basedseparations. By rapidly characterizing polymermembranes, the system addresses critical knowledge gaps related to theinterfacial processes that govern solute–solute selectivity and performance incomplex, multicomponent feed streams. We demonstrate these capabilities withself-assembled copolymer membranes whose pore wall chemistry can be tailoredpost-synthetically to enable selective separations through electrostaticinteractions and molecular recognition. Diafiltration efficiently elucidateshow subtle variations in membrane chemistry translate into measurable changesin transport properties. By advancing both membrane materials andcharacterization tools, this work provides a pathway toward more efficientseparation processes at the water-energy nexus.      Bio:William A. Phillipreceived his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in2004; and completed his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering under the guidance of Dr.Ed Cussler at the University of Minnesota in 2009. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Phillipcompleted a postdoctoral appointment with Dr. Menachem Elimelech at YaleUniversity. He is currently the Rooney Family Collegiate Professor ofEngineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at theUniversity of Notre Dame, where he heads the Water purification and AdvancedTransport Engineering Research (WATER) laboratory. Dr. Phillip is an AssociateEditor for Cambridge Materials: Water and an a member of the EditorialAdvisory Board for ACS Macro Letters.  The WATER lab examines how the structureand chemistry of polymeric membranes affect the transport of solutes andsolvents across them. By understanding the connection between functionality andproperty, Professor Phillip and his group are able to design and fabricatenext-generation membranes that provide more precise control over the transportof chemical species. These material advantages are then leveraged to designsystems capable of enhancing chemical separations at the water-energy nexus.The WATER lab has been recognized with the 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, theArmy Research Office Young Investigator Program, the North American MembraneSociety Young Membrane Scientist Award, the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Awardfor Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Duncan and Suzanne MellichampLectureship at Purdue University, and the FRI/John G. Kunesh Award.  

📍 LGRT 201

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