Office: (413) 545-6252
Email: perrys@engin.umass.edu
N563 Life Sciences Laboratory
240 Thatcher Road
Amherst, MA 01003
159 Goessmann Laboratory
686 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003
| 2002 | Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona |
| 2003 | Bachelors of Science in Chemistry, University of Arizona |
| 2005 | Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering, University of Arizona |
| 2010 | Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Sarah L. Perry received BS degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Arizona, as well as a MS in Chemical Engineering working on gas phase methods for chemically passivating silicon surfaces for semiconductor manufacturing. She received her PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign working on microfluidic platforms for the crystallization and study of membrane protein crystallization with Prof. Paul J.A. Kenis. She began working as a postdoc for Prof. Matthew Tirrell in the Bioengineering Department at the University of California at Berkeley and moved with the lab to the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. Her initial research in the Tirrell Group focused on the use of self-assembling DNA-lipid films for use in transfection. She then expanded her research to investigate the self-assembly, structure, and physics of biomimetic polyelectrolyte systems known as complex coacervates for use as artificial organelles or nanoreactors.
Prof. Perry loves to teach and mentor students. She teaches ENGIN 110 - Introduction to Chemical Engineering in the Fall semester because of the opportunities that it presents to build excitement about the field of chemical engineering and to help students build skills to help ensure future success. In the Spring semester, Prof. Perry teaches an elective class on Microfluidics and Microscale Analysis in Materials and Biology. This class is open to both undergraduate and graduate students from across the Five College System, and is designed to give students basic knowledge and skills related to microfluidic technology, and then give them the opportunity to use these skills to develop a microfluidic platform that addresses a current need in the real world. Students are encouraged to bring a project to the class related to their own research, or can work on a project sponsored by a lab or company.
In her spare time, Prof. Perry enjoys snuggling with her cats, trying to do jigsaw puzzles around the cats, working in her yard, training in Taekwondo, and doing arts and crafts.
| 2024 | ACS Macro Letters/Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award |
| 2023 | Young Alumni Achievement Award, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| 2023-2027 | Editorial Advisory Board for ChemSystemsChem |
| 2021 | Biomaterials Science Emerging Investigator |
| 2020 | Faculty Early Career Development Program Award, National Science Foundation |
| 2019-2021 | 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award |
| 2019-2023 | Editorial Advisory Board for ACS Macro Letters |
| 2019-2022 | Editorial Advisory Board for Soft Matter |
| 2018 | Soft Matter Emerging Investigator |
| 2017 | College of Engineering Outstanding Teacher Award |
| 2017 | College of Engineering Diversity Student Ally Award |
| 2016 | Lab on a Chip Emerging Investigator |
| 2015 | Residential First-Year Experience (RFYE) Student Choice Award |
