Research in the Perry laboratory utilizes self-assembly, molecular design, and microfluidic technologies to generate biomimetic microenvironments to study and enable the implementation of biomolecules to address real-world challenges. Individually, microfluidics represents an enabling technology for high throughput analyses such as the time-resolved structural analysis of enzyme dynamics or the continuous manufacture of RNA. At the same time, control over molecular interactions in self-assembling polyelectrolyte systems can be used to examine the interplay between biomolecules and the environment. Together, these capabilities can be coupled to generate artificial organelles for use in applications ranging from biochemistry to bioenergetics, biocatalysis, and biomedicine. Furthermore, this work has tremendous pedagogical potential to inspire students to work at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering.
Diwakaran Rathinam Palaniswamy gave an oral presentation on our collaborative work on Automated Microfluidic Platform for Transcriptional Site-Specific Labelling of RNA at the 2025 AGTD Annual Meeting.
Dr. Abhik Manna and Diwakaran Rathinam Palaniswamy presented a poster on our collaborative work on Automated Microfluidic Platform for Transcriptional Site-Specific Labelling of RNA at the 2025 AGTD Annual Meeting.
Congratulations to our DMREF collaborators on the publication of our new paper, including being highlighted on the journal cover!!!
"Towards Stable Biologics: Understanding Co-Excipient Effects on Hydrophobic Interactions and Solvent Network Integrity," J.W.P. Zajac, P. Muralikrishnan, C.L. Heldt, S.L. Perry, S. Sarupria, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. (2025), 10, 432-446. [PDF]
Welcome to Perry Balisa, a rising junior from Smith College who is joining us to work on X-ray compatible microfluidics!
Congratulations to now Dr. Joshua McGee! He recently defended his dissertation in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University and is now the CSO of his startup company Keylicon Biosciences, working on self-amplifying RNA to unlock new vaccines and therapies.
Congrats to Adhithi Varadarajan, who will be working this summer as an intern at the PM Group doing process design!
Welcome to Hannah Bannish, a rising junior who will be joining us in the fall to investigate the matereial and electrochemical properties of bio-derived complex coacervates!
Welcome to Rayyan Khan, a rising senior who will be joining us this summer to investigate the matereial and electrochemical properties of complex coacervates!
Congratulations to Jussara Alves Penido on the publication of her paper on phase behavior in surfactant-polymer complex coacervates!
"Miscibility and Phase Behavior in Bulk and Micellar Systems of Surfactant-Polymer Coacervate Mixtures," J. Alves Penido, W. Loh, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, (2025) - ASAP. [PDF]
Congratulations to Xianci Zeng and Alex Lawton on the publication of their paper on excipient effects on complex coacervation!
"Exploring the Effects of Excipients on Complex Coacervation," X. Zeng, P.U. Joshi, A. Lawton, L. Manchester, C.L. Heldt, S.L. Perry, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, (2025), 695, 137808. [PDF]
Congratulations to Dr. Sonu Kizhakkepura, who is starting a new position as an R&D Scientist at Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, a multi-national pharmaceutical company headquartered in India!
Congratulations to group alumnus Hansen Tjo, who was just awarded a Tau Beta Pi fellowship in support of his PhD studies at Princeton!
Congratulations to Arvind Sathyavageeswaran on having been awarded a travel grant to help support his attendance at the International Symposium on Polyelectrolytes this summer in Campinas, Brazil!
Congratulations to Khiem Le on having accepted an offer to join the automation company Keynce after graduation!
Congratulations to Ethan Rivers on having accepted an offer to join the PhD program in Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida next year!
Check out this awesome news highlight celebrating Yaozu Chen on being named a 2025 UMass Amherst Rising Researcher!
Congratulations to our wonderful collaborator Prof. Charles Sing on having been awarded the AIChE Owens Corning Early Career Award!
Congratulations to Emily Ng on having accepted an offer to join the PhD program in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware next year!
Júlia Bonesso Sabadini presented her research on Protein Encapsulation in Nanometric Domains: Insights from the Continuous Phase at the APS Global Physics Summit.
Prof. Perry presented on Affinity Controls Polyelectrolyte Pair Strength in Complex Coacervate: A Titration Calorimetry Investigation at the APS Global Physics Summit.
Isaac Ramírez Marrero presented his research on Design Rules and Mechanical Properties of Polyelectrolyte Complex Materials at the APS Global Physics Summit.
Xianci Zeng presented her research on Understanding the Role of Excipients in the Stability of Biological Macromolecules at the APS Global Physics Summit.
Congratulations to Yaozu Chen on being named a 2025 UMass Amherst Rising Researcher!
Congratulations to Isaac Ramírez Marrero on the publication of his "homopolymer stretchies" paper!
"Brittle-to-Ductile Transitions of Polyelectrolyte Complexes: Humidity, Temperature, and Salt," I.A. Ramírez Marrero, N. Kaiser, B. von Vacano, R. Konradi, A.J. Crosby, S.L. Perry, Macromolecules, (2025), 58(6), 2925-2938. [PDF]
Congratulations to Xianci Zeng and our DMREF collaborators on the publication of our new paper!
"Flipping Out: Role of Arginine in Hydrophobic Interactions and Biological Formulation Design," J.W.P. Zajac, P. Muralikrishnan, I. Tohidan, X. Zeng, C.L. Heldt, S.L. Perry, S. Sarupria, Chemical Science (2025), 16, 6780-6792. [PDF]
Prof. Perry gave an invited talk on Polyelectrolyte Complex Materials at the New England Complex Fluids Meeting hosted by Yimin Luo at Yale University.
Prof. Perry gave a seminar on Polyelectrolyte Complex Materials in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Missouri S&T.
Congratulations to Júlia Bonesso Sabadini on winning a travel award to attend the DPOLY Short Course on The Physics of Charged and Ion-Containing Polymers!
Welcome to Dr. Abhik Manna, who is joining us to work on microfluidic platforms for mRNA manufacture!
Congratulations to our collaborators in the Schiffman Lab, along with Dr. Pankaj Pandey on the publication of their new paper!
"Electrospinning of Self-Assembling Oligopeptides into Nanofiber Mats: Impacts of Peptide Composition and End-groups," P. Rathore, B. Montz, S.H. Hung, P.K. Pandey, S.L. Perry, T. Emrick, J.D. Schiffman, Biomacromolecules (2025), 26(3), 1604-1613. [PDF]
Prof. Perry will be giving a seminar on Polyelectrolyte Complex Materials in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines.
Best wishes to Dr. Isaac Ramírez Marrero as he ends his time with us in the Perry lab and starts his new journey as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign working with Prof. Antonia Statt and Prof. Simon Rogers!
Check out this video put together by the NextFlex Women in STEM Education program!
Congratulations to Dr. Sarthak Saha and Yaozu Chen on the publication of their new paper!
"Scalable Fabrication of Array-Type Fixed-Target Device for Automated Room Temperature X-ray Protein Crystallography," S. Saha, Y. Chen, S. Russi, D. Marchany-Rivera, A.E. Cohen, S.L. Perry, Scientific Reports, (2025), 15, 334. [PDF]
Best wishes to Dr. Sarthak Saha as he ends his time here in the Perry lab and starts his new journey as a postdoctoral researcher the lab of Dr. Avanish Mishra at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital!
Congratulations to Dr. Pankaj Pandey, Arvind Sathyavageeswaran, and Nick Holmlund on the publication of their new paper!
"Polyelectrolyte-Carbon Dot Complex Coacervation," P.K. Pandey, A. Sathyavageeswaran, N. Holmlund, S.L. Perry, ACS Macro Letters, (2025), 14(1), 43-50. [PDF]
Congratulations to Dr. Isaac Ramírez Marrero for successfully defending his PhD dissertation on Polyelectrolyte Complex Materials: Design Rules and Applications!!! Dr. Ramírez Marrero is the eighth PhD student to graduate from the Perry lab!
Welcome to Vaishnavi Mahankal, a first year PhD student who will be us joining to work on microfluidics for time-resolved crystallography!
Welcome to Jina Lee, a junior in Engineering Sciences at Smith College who will be joining us in the lab over winter break!
Congratulations to Prof. Whitney Blocher McTigue, who was awarded the Lehigh Early Career Teaching Award for her outstanding impact and dedication to student success!
Check out this UMass Engineering News Story about Yaozu Chen's award for best poster at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting!
Best wishes to Dr. Sonu Kizhakkepura as he ends his time at UMass and moves on to a bright future!
Congratulations to Dr. Sonu Kizhakkepura on winning 1st Place in the poster competition at the 12th International mRNA Health Conference!
Congratulations to Diwakaran Rathinam Palaniswamy on winning 1st Place in the poster competition at the 12th International mRNA Health Conference!
Baktha gave both a talk and a poster on Polymer-based Microfluidic Chips for Time-resolved Serial Crystallography at the 18th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules (ICCBM).
Prof. Perry presented a keynote lecture on Microfluidics for Structural Biology at the 18th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules (ICCBM).
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