Dr. George John

John’s research is rooted in the idea that innovation can be inspired by nature to develop economical and sustainable technologies for a greener future. The group has harnessed crop-based precursors such as sugars, fatty acids and plant lipids to design a unique set of multifunctional soft-materials including polymers, gels and green surfactants. His group has successfully developed environmentally benign antibacterial paints, polymer-coatings, molecular gel technologies, oil spill recovery materials, battery components and oil thickening agents. As soft materials research is highly interdisciplinary and collaborative, John’s lab encourages the blending of such diverse elements including organic synthesis, green chemistry, material chemistry, colloid science and biomimetics.