Amanda Marciel

Amanda Marciel is the William Marsh Rice Trustee Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University, with joint appointments in Chemistry and Applied Physics. She joined Rice in 2019, following postdoctoral work at The University of Chicago (2015-2018) and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2015), and a B.S. in Chemistry from UC Berkeley (2008).

Her research focuses on designing stimuli-responsive materials through understanding charged polymer behavior in solutions and at interfaces. Key areas include pH-responsive polyelectrolyte brushes, polyampholyte phase behavior mimicking intrinsically disordered proteins, and charged polymers at fluid-fluid interfaces for applications in energy, biomedicine, and environmental engineering. Techniques used include precision polymer synthesis, light scattering, interfacial rheology, and advanced imaging.

Marciel has published >30 articles on soft matter physics and supervised 5 graduate students. Notable awards include the NSF CAREER Award and ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator grant. Her work bridges polymer chemistry, materials science, and biophysics, with a focus on interdisciplinary innovation.