Sustainable Materials
We study a wide range of sustainable materials including renewable polymers and recycling, materials for renewable energy and energy efficiency, safer materials and chemicals alternatives, and green chemistry and engineering. We work with industry, government, and academic partners to find socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable solutions to materials and manufacturing challenges in all sectors. We also deliver innovative, hands-on education programs with sustainability as the central guiding principle.

Life Cycle Assessment
We develop decision-making models to measure and minimize environmental, social, and economic impacts (footprint assessment) of products, buildings, energy, supply chains, and services using life cycle assessment (LCA). Also, we use LCA to measure and maximize positive environmental, social, and economic impacts of voluntary actions (handprint assessment) by organizations and/or individuals, including education and research. Finally, we advance the LCA method to measure resilience, which will allow for creating sustainable and resilient systems.

Current Research

More Life Cycle & Materials Research

Meet Our Faculty

  • Juan Artes Vivancos, Ph.D.
    Juan Artes Vivancos, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor
    Chemistry, Climate Change Initiative
  • Jasmina Burek
    Jasmina Burek
    Assistant Professor, CWW Associate
    Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Center for Women and Work (CWW), Climate Change Initiative (CCI), PERC, RURI

    Applying engineering and decision-making models to find solutions to climate change and environmental problems, energy and process modeling, multi-objective optimization, sustainability, system modeling and optimization for energy resilience, life cycle assessment (LCA), techno-economic analysis (TEA), climate smart housing, food insecurity in the cold supply chain, and handprint assessment.

  • Stephen Lam, Ph.D.
    Stephen Lam, Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, RHSA Mentor
    Chemical Engineering, River Hawk Scholars Academy (RHSA), Climate Change Initiative
  • Michael Ross
    Michael Ross
    Assistant Professor
    Chemistry, Climate Change Initiative

    Materials Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Analytical Chemistry, Energy Materials, Photonics

  • Margaret Sobkowicz Kline, Ph.D.
    Margaret Sobkowicz Kline, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Plastics Engineering, Climate Change Initiative (CCI), ADVANCE, SWIMMER, HEROES, Making Waves, Center for Advanced Manufacturing of Polymers and Soft Materials, Climate Change Initiative

    Renewable polymers, Plastics processing, nanocomposites, organic photovoltaics and electronics, rheology, scattering

  • Joel Tickner, Ph.D.
    Joel Tickner, Ph.D.
    Professor
    Public Health, SWIMMER, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Climate Change Initiative (CCI)

    Environmental Health, Chemicals Policy, Pollution Prevention, Risk Assessment

  • Weile Yan, Ph.D., P.E.
    Weile Yan, Ph.D., P.E.
    Associate Professor
    Civil and Environmental Engineering, Climate Change Initiative