Phillip Taylor

Phillip Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on computational materials science, polymer physics, biomaterials, and peptide self-assembly, using molecular simulations and machine learning to engineer soft materials such as hydrogels and nanoparticles.

Education: B.S.E. and M.S.E. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania; Ph.D. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Delaware (under Professors Arthi Jayaraman and April M. Kloxin). Postdoctoral research at Sandia National Laboratories' Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies with Drs. Gary Grest and Mark Stevens.

Research interests include bio-inspired polymers for medical applications (e.g., drug delivery, tissue engineering), dynamic covalent hydrogels, and machine learning-driven coarse-grained models for self-healing materials. His work emphasizes computational guidance for synthesizing responsive soft materials.

Awards:

• UVA Rising Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship (2022)
• Chemical Engineering Teaching Fellowship (University of Delaware, 2022)
• AIChE 8B Biomaterials First Place Graduate Talk Award (2021)
• Best Talk Prize (MRS Spring Meeting, 2021)

Lab activities: Taylor Lab develops biomaterials and soft materials via computational design. Collaborates on hydrogel synthesis and stimuli-responsive nanoparticles with controllable viscoelastic properties.