Michael J. Bortner

Michael J. Bortner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, specializing in structure-process-property relationships of polymer composites and nanocomposites. His work spans applications in additive manufacturing, smart materials, structural composites, and sustainable technologies.

• PhD, Virginia Tech (2003)
• MEng, Virginia Tech (2002)
• BS, Penn State (1998)

His research integrates advanced manufacturing with material sustainability, focusing on polymer nanocomposites, rheology, and process modeling. Recent publications emphasize 3D printing, rheological optimization, and environmental applications like contaminant adsorption and algal toxin degradation.

As principal investigator of the Bortner Lab, he leads projects in the Advanced Manufacturing Team, Center for Performance Packaging Systems (CP2S), and Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII). His group actively mentors students such as Justin Anderson (PhD), Larry Luster (PhD candidate), and Yimin Yao (poster awardee), while alumni Nadine van Westrenen and Sara Watson pursue graduate studies abroad.