Article from the College of Engineering (engineering.osu.edu)

Lisa Hall, the H.C. “Slip” Slider Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, received a five-year, $475,000 NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award for her research to understand how polymer structure controls overall materials properties.

The CAREER award is the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of both.

Hall’s research involves theoretical and computational studies of polymeric materials for potential applications as non-flammable polymer electrolytes in a new generation of safe, lightweight batteries. The goal is to develop and use innovative computational and theoretical tools to model ionic conductance in block copolymer based materials. 

Part of the grant funding will be used to support Hall’s outreach and education efforts to help communicate to all ages what polymers are and how their structure impacts material properties. Interactive simulations based on the research will be employed at summer camps for K-12 students and at public outreach events, including STEAM Factory events. Additionally, through the College of Engineering’s translating engineering program (TEK8), undergraduates supported by this project will visit an underserved middle school to guide the students through multiple activities that allow them to participate in the engineering design process.

Prior to joining Ohio State in 2012, Hall worked at Sandia National Laboratories as a postdoctoral associate, primarily doing molecular dynamics simulations of ionic polymers.