Biography

Arnold and Barbara Silverman
Professor and Chair,
Department of Bioengineering,
University of California,
Berkeley, and Berkeley National
Laboratory

Richard A. Auhll Professor and
Dean, College of Engineering,
University of California, Santa
Barbara

Professor Chemical Engineering,
Materials, University of
California, Santa Barbara

Director of the Biomedical
Engineering Institute and Head
of Chemical Engineering and
Materials Science, University of
Minnesota

Earl E. Bakken Professor of
Biomedical Engineering,
University of Minnesota

Shell Distinguished Chair in
Chemical Engineering,
University of Minnesota

Education

PhD, Polymer Science
University of Massachusetts

BChE, Northwestern University

BPHYS Student

John Barrett, PhD

Overview

Matthew Tirrell, a pioneering researcher in the fields of biomolecular engineering and nanotechnology, is the founding Pritzker Director of the Institute for Molecular Engineering.

Tirrell specializes in the manipulation and measurement of the surface properties of polymers, materials that consist of long, flexible chain molecules. His work combines microscopic measurements of intermolecular forces with the creation of new structures. His work has provided new insight into polymer properties, especially surface phenomena, such as adhesion, friction, and biocompatibility, and new materials based on self-assembly of synthetic and bioinspired materials.

Tirrell began his academic career in 1977 at the University of Minnesota, where he served as Shell Distinguished Chair in Chemical Engineering, Earl E. Bakken Professor of Biomedical Engineering, director of the Biomedical Engineering Institute, and head of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. Tirrell moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1999, where for a decade he was professor of Chemical Engineering, Materials, Biomolecular Science, and Engineering, and Richard A. Auhll Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering.

Select Bibliographies

Spatiotemporal Formation and Growth Kinetics of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles with Millisecond Resolution
Wu, Hao, Jeffrey M. Ting, Boyuan Yu, Nicholas E. Jackson, Siqi Meng, Juan J. de Pablo, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Spatiotemporal Formation and Growth Kinetics of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles with Millisecond Resolution." ACS Macro Letters 9, no. 11 (2020): 1674-1680.

Impact of wet-dry cycling on the phase behavior and compartmentalization properties of complex coacervates
Fares, Hadi M., Alexander E. Marras, Jeffrey M. Ting, Matthew V. Tirrell, and Christine D. Keating. "Impact of Wet-Dry Cycling on the Phase Behavior and Compartmentalization Properties of Complex Coacervates." (2020).

Probing Diffuse Polymer Brush Interfaces Using Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering
De Hoe, Guilhem X., Jun Mao, Zhang Jiang, Seth B. Darling, Matthew V. Tirrell, and Wei Chen. "Probing Diffuse Polymer Brush Interfaces Using Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering." Synchrotron Radiation News 33, no. 4 (2020): 24-30.

Structure, Morphology, and Rheology of Polyelectrolyte Complex Hydrogels Formed by Self-Assembly of Oppositely Charged Triblock Polyelectrolytes
Srivastava, Samanvaya, Adam E. Levi, David J. Goldfeld, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Structure, morphology, and rheology of polyelectrolyte complex hydrogels formed by self-assembly of oppositely charged triblock polyelectrolytes." Macromolecules 53, no. 14 (2020): 5763-5774. Harvard

Comparing Zwitterionic and PEG Exteriors of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Ting, Jeffrey M., Alexander E. Marras, Joseph D. Mitchell, Trinity R. Campagna, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Comparing Zwitterionic and PEG Exteriors of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles." Molecules 25, no. 11 (2020): 2553.

Effect of mixed solvents on polyelectrolyte complexes with salt
Meng, S., Liu, Y., Yeo, J., Ting, J. M., & Tirrell, M. V. Effect of mixed solvents on polyelectrolyte complexes with salt. Colloid and Polymer Science, 1-8.

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Marras, A. E., Vieregg, J. R., Tirrell, M. V. Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles. J. Vis. Exp. (157), e60894, doi:10.3791/60894 (2020).

An in situ shearing x-ray measurement system for exploring structures and dynamics at the solid–liquid interface
Qiao, Yijun, Hua Zhou, Zhang Jiang, Qiming He, Shenglong Gan, Hongdong Wang, Shizhu Wen et al. "An in situ shearing x-ray measurement system for exploring structures and dynamics at the solid–liquid interface." Review of Scientific Instruments 91, no. 1 (2020): 013908. Harvard

Mechanism of Dissociation Kinetics in Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Wu, Hao, Jeffrey M. Ting, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Mechanism of Dissociation Kinetics in Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles." Macromolecules (2019).

Hydrophobically assembled nanoparticles: Self-assembled nanoparticles
Wang, J., Mellas, M., Tirrell, M. and Chung, E.J., 2020. Hydrophobically assembled nanoparticles: Self-assembled nanoparticles. In Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications (pp. 325-347). Elsevier.