Meg Sobkowicz-Kline

Meg Sobkowicz-Kline is a Professor and Associate Chair of Doctoral Studies in the Plastics Engineering Department at the Francis College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell. She has been a faculty member since 2011 and leads research in sustainable polymer materials, focusing on the intersection of polymer science and environmental sustainability.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering (2010), Colorado School of Mines
• B.S. in Chemical Engineering (2001), Columbia University

Dr. Sobkowicz-Kline's research spans renewable polymers, plastics recycling, extrusion, nanocomposites, organic photovoltaics, rheology, and green chemistry. Her work includes developing hybrid chemical/mechanical approaches for plastics recycling, creating biodegradable polymers for agricultural applications with controlled release properties, and engineering thermally conductive polymer composites for heat exchange devices. She emphasizes understanding structure-processing-property relationships in sustainable polymer systems.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on enzymatic depolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), innovative recycling technologies for multi-component plastic waste, and polymer design for the circular economy. Her work bridges fundamental polymer science with practical applications aimed at reducing environmental impact while maintaining material performance.

Selected Awards:

• CAREER Award (2014) from the National Science Foundation
• Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence (2015) from University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Fellow (2015)

Dr. Sobkowicz-Kline co-directs the SWIMMER NRT program and actively mentors graduate students working on sustainable polymer research. She serves on the Internal Advisory Board for SWIMMER and is involved with the WAVES initiative to broaden participation of women in engineering. Her research group utilizes high-speed reactive extrusion, enzymatic depolymerization, and advanced characterization techniques to develop next-generation sustainable polymer materials with improved environmental profiles.