Joseph Seymour

Joseph Seymour is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Montana State University (MSU), co-director of the Magnetic Resonance Microscopy (MRM) laboratory, and affiliated with the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Materials Science Program, and Energy Research Institute. His research focuses on imaging transport phenomena using MRI, particularly in biofilms, porous media, and polymeric gels. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis (1994) and a B.S. from Florida State University (1990).

Dr. Seymour’s work bridges engineering and biology, applying MRI to study fluid dynamics, diffusion, and biofilm structure-function relationships. Key areas include magnetic resonance microscopy of biofilm-induced transport changes in porous systems, rheo-NMR velocimetry, and NMR relaxometry for material characterization. His research has led to advancements in understanding biofilm antibiotic resistance, phase change materials, and supercritical fluid behavior.

He has been recognized for excellence in research and mentoring, including the NSF CAREER Award (2004), Cox Faculty Award (2008), and Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer (2014). His lab collaborates on projects involving drug delivery systems, microbially-induced calcite precipitation, and environmental remediation. Recent work includes MRI analysis of heat transfer in phase change materials and low-field NMR detection of subsurface biofilms.

Teaching responsibilities include courses in chemical engineering thermodynamics, transport analysis, and magnetic resonance imaging. He actively mentors students in research and has contributed to interdisciplinary initiatives at MSU’s College of Engineering.