Karen L. Wooley

Last updated
Karen L. Wooley
Born
Nationality American
Education Oregon State University (BSc)
Cornell University (PhD)
Scientific career
Fields Polymer/Organic Chemistry
Institutions Washington University in St. Louis
Texas A&M
Doctoral advisor Jean Fréchet

Karen L. Wooley is an American polymer chemist. She is a Distinguished Professor at Texas A&M University whose research focuses on developing novel polymers and nanostructured materials. Previously, she was the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Contents

Early life and education

Wooley was born and raised in Oakridge, Oregon, a small logging community in the mountains of Oregon. [1] She received her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Oregon State University in 1988, and a Ph.D. in Polymer/Organic Chemistry from Cornell University [2] in 1993 under the guidance of Jean Fréchet.

Career

Wooley is internationally recognized as a leader in the area of multifunctional macromolecules (polymers and related materials). Wooley has changed the way modern chemists think about the design, synthesis, and functionalization of organic polymers. She is credited with bringing a rational designed-based synthetic approach to the field of polymer chemistry; an approach traditionally reserved for small molecule synthetic targets like natural products. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Inventors, and the National Academy of Sciences. [3]

Wooley’s independent career in academia began in 1993 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) where she was promoted to Full Professor in 1999 and installed as the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences (an endowed Professorship now held by Rodolfo Manuelli in the Department of Economics). Wooley also was affiliated with the Department of Radiology at the Washington University School of Medicine through a joint appointment granted in 2007 as part of her active collaborations in the area of radiotherapeutics with the late Michael Welch (1939–2012). In 2009, Wooley was recruited to Texas A&M University where she holds the W. T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry and is a University Distinguished Professor and Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M University, with appointments in the Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering. She also serves as Director of the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions.

Wooley's research interests include the synthesis and characterization of degradable polymers derived from natural products, unique macromolecular architectures and complex polymer assemblies, and the design and development of nanostructured materials. She has designed synthetic strategies to harness the compositional, regiochemical and stereochemical complexity of natural products for the construction of hydrolytically-degradable polymers, which have impact toward sustainability, reduction of reliance on petrochemicals, and production of biologically-beneficial and environmentally-benign natural products upon degradation. Wooley's research team is engaged in creative approaches to materials for nanomedicine applications, degradable polymers from natural resources, coatings for marine antifouling, advanced photoresist materials for the microelectronics industry, hybrid magnetic nanomaterials for environmental remediation, and other projects of fundamental and applied nature. [4]

In 2017, Wooley helped establish biodegradable plastics development company Teysha Technologies. [5] Wooley, alongside the team at Teysha, has been working to develop biodegradable plastics from biomass stock. These plastics can be tuned to decompose within set timescales. The goal of the project is to develop a new, general purpose, seawater soluble plastics, [6] to help address the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. She is the co-founder and President of Sugar Plastics, LLC.

Awards

Wooley received the American Chemical Society Award in Polymer Chemistry (2014), the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2014), and election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2015), National Academy of Inventors (2019), American Association for the Advancement of Science (2020), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2020), and National Academy of Sciences (2020). Most recently, she was named as the 2021 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Professor of the Year. Wooley has served on the technical advisory boards and served in consulting capacities for several companies.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodegradation</span> Decomposition by living organisms

Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegradation occurs under a specific set of circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymer degradation</span> Alteration in the polymer properties under the influence of environmental factors

Polymer degradation is the reduction in the physical properties of a polymer, such as strength, caused by changes in its chemical composition. Polymers and particularly plastics are subject to degradation at all stages of their product life cycle, including during their initial processing, use, disposal into the environment and recycling. The rate of this degradation varies significantly; biodegradation can take decades, whereas some industrial processes can completely decompose a polymer in hours.

Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures of chemicals, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are also applicable through a wide range of other chemistry sub-disciplines like organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and physical chemistry. Many materials have polymeric structures, from fully inorganic metals and ceramics to DNA and other biological molecules. However, polymer chemistry is typically related to synthetic and organic compositions. Synthetic polymers are ubiquitous in commercial materials and products in everyday use, such as plastics, and rubbers, and are major components of composite materials. Polymer chemistry can also be included in the broader fields of polymer science or even nanotechnology, both of which can be described as encompassing polymer physics and polymer engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyhydroxybutyrate</span> Polymer

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a polymer belonging to the polyesters class that are of interest as bio-derived and biodegradable plastics. The poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) form of PHB is probably the most common type of polyhydroxyalkanoate, but other polymers of this class are produced by a variety of organisms: these include poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB), polyhydroxyvalerate (PHV), polyhydroxyhexanoate (PHH), polyhydroxyoctanoate (PHO) and their copolymers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polymer science</span> Subfield of materials science concerned with polymers

Polymer science or macromolecular science is a subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics and elastomers. The field of polymer science includes researchers in multiple disciplines including chemistry, physics, and engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioplastic</span> Plastics derived from renewable biomass sources

Bioplastics are plastic materials produced from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, straw, woodchips, sawdust, recycled food waste, etc. Some bioplastics are obtained by processing directly from natural biopolymers including polysaccharides and proteins, while others are chemically synthesised from sugar derivatives and lipids from either plants or animals, or biologically generated by fermentation of sugars or lipids. In contrast, common plastics, such as fossil-fuel plastics are derived from petroleum or natural gas.

Polyethylene or polythene film biodegrades naturally, albeit over a long period of time. Methods are available to make it more degradable under certain conditions of sunlight, moisture, oxygen, and composting and enhancement of biodegradation by reducing the hydrophobic polymer and increasing hydrophilic properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodegradable plastic</span> Plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.

Polymer engineering is generally an engineering field that designs, analyses, and modifies polymer materials. Polymer engineering covers aspects of the petrochemical industry, polymerization, structure and characterization of polymers, properties of polymers, compounding and processing of polymers and description of major polymers, structure property relations and applications.

Biodegradable polymers are a special class of polymer that breaks down after its intended purpose by bacterial decomposition process to result in natural byproducts such as gases (CO2, N2), water, biomass, and inorganic salts. These polymers are found both naturally and synthetically made, and largely consist of ester, amide, and ether functional groups. Their properties and breakdown mechanism are determined by their exact structure. These polymers are often synthesized by condensation reactions, ring opening polymerization, and metal catalysts. There are vast examples and applications of biodegradable polymers.

Many opportunities exist for the application of synthetic biodegradable polymers in the biomedical area particularly in the fields of tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery. Degradation is important in biomedicine for many reasons. Degradation of the polymeric implant means surgical intervention may not be required in order to remove the implant at the end of its functional life, eliminating the need for a second surgery. In tissue engineering, biodegradable polymers can be designed such to approximate tissues, providing a polymer scaffold that can withstand mechanical stresses, provide a suitable surface for cell attachment and growth, and degrade at a rate that allows the load to be transferred to the new tissue. In the field of controlled drug delivery, biodegradable polymers offer tremendous potential either as a drug delivery system alone or in conjunction to functioning as a medical device.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic</span> Material of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids

Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be molded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptability, plus a wide range of other properties, such as being lightweight, durable, flexible, and inexpensive to produce, has led to their widespread use. Plastics typically are made through human industrial systems. Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum; however, recent industrial methods use variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives.

Biodegradable additives are additives that enhance the biodegradation of polymers by allowing microorganisms to utilize the carbon within the polymer chain as a source of energy. Biodegradable additives attract microorganisms to the polymer through quorum sensing after biofilm creation on the plastic product. Additives are generally in masterbatch formation that use carrier resins such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Goodyear Medal</span> Award

The Charles Goodyear Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society, Rubber Division. Established in 1941, the award is named after Charles Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanization, and consists of a gold medal, a framed certificate and prize money. The medal honors individuals for "outstanding invention, innovation, or development which has resulted in a significant change or contribution to the nature of the rubber industry". Awardees give a lecture at an ACS Rubber Division meeting, and publish a review of their work in the society's scientific journal Rubber Chemistry and Technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodegradable athletic footwear</span>

Biodegradable athletic footwear is athletic footwear that uses biodegradable materials with the ability to compost at the end-of-life phase. Such materials include natural biodegradable polymers, synthetic biodegradable polymers, and biodegradable blends. The use of biodegradable materials is a long-term solution to landfill pollution that can significantly help protect the natural environment by replacing the synthetic, non-biodegradable polymers found in athletic footwear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenia Kumacheva</span> Canadian chemist

Eugenia Eduardovna Kumacheva is a University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research interests span across the fields of fundamental and applied polymers science, nanotechnology, microfluidics, and interface chemistry. She was awarded the L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science in 2008 "for the design and development of new materials with many applications including targeted drug delivery for cancer treatments and materials for high density optical data storage". In 2011, she published a book on the Microfluidic Reactors for Polymer Particles co-authored with Piotr Garstecki. She is Canadian Research Chair in Advanced Polymer Materials. She is Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristi Kiick</span> American chemical engineer

Kristi Lynn Kiick is the Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware. She studies polymers, biomaterials and hydrogels for drug delivery and regenerative medicine. She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and of the National Academy of Inventors. She served for nearly eight years as the deputy dean of the college of engineering at the University of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catia Bastioli</span> Italian chemist and researcher

Catia Bastioli is an Italian researcher, chemist, and entrepreneur. Born in Foligno, she was always interested in chemistry and the natural world. Bastioli went on to attend the Business Management School at Bocconi University and get a degree in chemistry from the University of Perugia. She started her career as a researcher for the largest research group in Italy, Montedison, where she used her chemistry expertise to develop bioplastics with waste and agricultural raw materials. At Montedison, she helped to found a research center that later became Novamont. With this transition to Novemont, Bastioli began focusing on experimenting with eco-friendly materials and bioplastics. Bastioli is CEO of Novamont, as well as President of Terna Spa of the Kyoto Club Association and a member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Cariplo. She also was the CEO of Matrìca, a joint venture between Novamont and Versalis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amar K. Mohanty</span> Material scientist and biomaterial engineer

Amar K. Mohanty is a material scientist and biobased material engineer, academic and author. He is a Professor and Distinguished Research Chair in Sustainable Biomaterials at the Ontario Agriculture College and is the Director of the Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre at the University of Guelph.

Melissa Ann Grunlan is an American scientist and academic. She is Professor and Holder of the Charles H. and Bettye Barclay Professorship in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University. She holds courtesy appointments in the Departments of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering. Her research focuses on the development of polymeric biomaterials for regenerative engineering and medical devices.

References

  1. "Karen L. Wooley". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  2. "Karen Wooley". Texas A&M University . Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  3. "Texas A&M Professor Selected As 2019 National Academy Of Inventors Fellow". Texas A&M Today. December 3, 2019.
  4. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-10-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Team – Teysha Technologies".
  6. "About Us – Teysha Technologies".