Truskett, Thomas M. Ph.D.
Department Chair
Paul D. & Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Professor in Chemical Engineering
| Office: | CPE 5.454 | Mailing Address: |
| Phone: | (512) 471-6308 | The University of Texas at Austin |
| Fax: | (512) 471-7060 | Department of Chemical Engineering |
| Email: | truskett@che.utexas.edu | 200 E Dean Keeton St. Stop C0400 |
| UT Mail: | C0400 | Austin, TX 78712-1589 |
Research Areas: Advanced Materials, Polymers & Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Modeling & Simulation
Research Group Website
Research Presentation for Prospective Graduate Students
Educational Qualifications
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Princeton University (2001)
M.A., Chemical Engineering, Princeton University (1998)
B.S., Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin (1996)
NIH Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco (2001-2002)
Courses Taught
CHE 353, Transport Phenomena
CHE 339P / CHE 384, Introduction to Biological Physics
CHE 253K, Applied Statistics
CHE 381N, Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer
CHE 384, Theoretical Methods for Soft Matter
Research
In broad terms, our research focuses on understanding the structural, thermodynamic, and kinetic properties of soft condensed-phase systems, which include, for example, molecular fluids, liquid crystals, colloidal suspensions, protein solutions, and glasses. The interparticle forces operating in these material systems are specific to each substance, and give rise to a wide variety of stable and metastable phases, each with distinctive physical properties. To complicate matters, many real-world samples contain contaminants and/or are confined to restricted geometries (e.g., in zeolites, clays, or vesicles), both of which can dramatically affect their engineering or biological functionality.
Our basic challenge as chemical engineers is to develop logical and quantitative means for modeling this important class of systems from a knowledge of the relevant micro- or mesoscopic interactions. In my research group, we are actively addressing this challenge with a number of tools including both analytic statistical mechanical approaches and molecular simulations.
Current sponsored research
Concentrated Protein Dispersions (NSF) • Inverse Methods for Engineering Complex Fluids (NSF) • Modeling Transport Processes in Nanoconfined Materials (Welch Foundation) • Multiscale modeling of protein solutions for subcutaneous delivery (David & Lucile Packard Foundation) • Equilibrium dispersant behavior relevant to deep-sea water conditions (Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative) • Computational Design of Nanomaterials by Pattern Replication (NASA)
Awards & Honors
Named Lectureships
Dudley A. Saville Lectureship, Princeton University (2009)
Ernest W. Thiele Lectureship, University of Notre Dame (2008)
Hendrick C. Van Ness Award Lectures, Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute (2007)
Major Research Awards
Allan P. Colburn Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2007)
Sloan Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2006)
Packard Fellowship, David and Lucile Packard Foundation (2004)
National Awards for Research and Eduaction
NSF CAREER Award, National Science Foundation (2005)
NIH National Research Service Award, National Institutes of Health (2001)
NSF Graduate Fellowship, National Science Foundation (1996)
Teaching Awards and University Recognition
Paul D. & Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2006)
William H. Tonn Professorial Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2005)
College of Engineering Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin (2005)
Teaching Excellence Award, Student Engineering Council, The University of Texas at Austin (2004)
Other Honors
U.S. National Academies interviewer for Vietnam Education Foundation Fellowships (2010)
Keynote Lecture at the 84th Colloid and Surface Science Symposium of the American Chemical Society (2010)
Plenary Lecture at the 12th International Conference on Properties and Phase Equilibria for Product and Process Design (2010)
Scientific Organizing Committee for the National Science Foundation’s Workshop on Molecular Models for Carbon-Neutral Industrialization (2010)
Organizing Committee, Indo-American Frontiers of Engineering Meeting, National Academy of Engineering (2010)
Invited Speaker Future Directions in Transport Phenomena, Celebratory Centennial Session, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2008)
Selected as one of nine faculty visionaries for the next 25 years, Future Thoughts Project, Chemical Engineering Progress (2008)
Distinguished Alumnus, Longview Independent School District (2008)
Invited Participant, German-American Frontiers of Science Symposium, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2006)
Invited Participant in the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, National Academy of Engineering (2005)
Kristine M. Layn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, Princeton University (1999)
William R. Schowalter Award, Princeton University (1999)
Dean’s Travel Award, Princeton University (1999)
Selected Publications are available from Dr. Truskett’s Research Group Site.
Affiliations
Institute for Theoretical Chemistry (ITC)
Texas Materials Institute (TMI)
Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and Technology