Schiffman Lab Group

We are strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We recognize and value the wide range of voices and perspectives of our community and expect all members to treat each other with mutual respect and civility.

Our innovative and imaginative researchers tackle challenges in human health and the environment by working at the interface of chemical engineering, polymer science, materials engineering, and microbiology; all thanks to the NSF, ARL, and corporate sponsors.

Pitcher plant inspired membranes! We have demonstrated that by forming an immobilized, robust, and stable oil coated membrane, we can generate high-performance membranes with stable permeance values that can be operated at relevant transmembrane pressures and provide long-lasting antifouling properties... see Publications page.

We develop alginate-based nanofibers that could potentially serve as a biocompatible, edible probiotic delivery system. This article was submitted to the Invited Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigators 2021 issue and among the 25 Most Popular Articles of 2021!

Prof. Schiffman is a Full Professor and Gary R. Lapidus Professor of Chemical Engineering at UMass. Her recent awards include being named an Influential Researchers by I&EC Research, the ACS AM&I Young Investigator Award, and an ADVANCE Collaboration & Equity Fellow. From the College of Engineering she has received the Outstanding Teaching Award and the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award.

Welcome to the Schiffman Lab @ the University of Massachusetts Amherst!

The mission of our laboratory is to use green engineering to design next-generation materials that improve human health and the environment. Using chemistry inspired by nature we invent and manufacture a broad range of polymer materials - from fouling resistant biomedical devices to filters that produce clean water to wearable conductive fabrics.

Our lab is directed by Dr. Schiffman (short CV) who is a Full Professor of chemical engineering and the Gary R. Lapidus Professor at UMass Amherst. She was recently appointed the inaugural deputy editor of the new peer-reviewed journal ACS Applied Engineering Materials. In recognition of her dedication to mentoring and teaching, Dr. Schiffman was awarded the 2022 UMass campus-wide Distinguished Graduate Mentor Award and the 2022 UMass ADVANCE Faculty Mentor Award. Dr. Schiffman served as the Interim Department Head of the chemical engineering department during the 2021-2022 academic year and prior to that, as the associate department head from 2020-2021.

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