Seminar Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM PT
Location: 67-3111 & Zoom
Talk Title: Polymer Informatics for Sustainable Materials Design: Where Physics,
Chemistry, and AI Converge
Zoom link
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Abstract:
The convergence of physics, chemistry, and artificial intelligence is transforming how polymeric
materials are discovered and designed. In this talk, I will review recent advances in polymer informatics and illustrate how AI-enabled approaches are accelerating the development of sustainable, application- specific polymer materials. Examples will span emerging challenges in energy storage, energy production, and materials circularity, including recyclable and biodegradable polymers. Central to these advances is the ability of machine learning and computational modeling to navigate the vast chemical and configurational space of polymers and address both forward and inverse design problems. I will describe a practical polymer design framework that integrates physics-based understanding, chemical knowledge, and AI-driven prediction to identify candidate materials that satisfy application-specific performance criteria. Case studies will demonstrate the framework’s use in several energy- and sustainability-related applications. I will conclude with an outlook on the opportunities and challenges facing the field as polymer informatics moves from academic discovery toward widespread adoption in industrial materials design.
Bio:
Dr. Ramprasad joined the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech in February 2018. Prior to joining Georgia Tech, he was the Centennial Term Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Connecticut. He joined the University of Connecticut in Fall 2004 after a 6-year stint with Motorola’s R&D laboratories at Tempe, AZ. Dr. Ramprasad received his B. Tech. in Metallurgical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, an M.S. degree in Materials Science & Engineering at the Washington State University, and a Ph.D. degree also in Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Prof. Ramprasad’s research focuses on developing and applying computational and machine-learning tools to enable the rapid and sustainable design of advanced materials for energy production and storage, additive manufacturing and packaging. He is also the Founder of Matmerize, Inc., a Georgia Tech spin-off that delivers AI-driven software and services to accelerate polymer and formulations development.
Prof. Ramprasad is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society and the American Physical Society, an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering, and a recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and the Max Planck Society Fellowship for Distinguished Scientists. Prof. Ramprasad has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, 8 book chapters, and 8 patents, and has delivered over 300 invited lectures at universities and conferences worldwide. He serves on the Editorial Advisory Boards of npj Computational Materials, ACS Materials Letters, and the Journal of Physical Chemistry A/B/C. He also created and chaired the inaugural 2022 Gordon Research Conference on Computational Materials Science and Engineering.
