Michelle Calabrese

Michelle Calabrese is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Polymer Science & Engineering at the University of Minnesota (College of Science and Engineering). Her research focuses on designing novel soft materials using advanced rheological and neutron scattering techniques, alongside developing new scattering instruments and analysis methods. Key application areas include drug delivery, energy, and sustainable materials. She holds a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania (2012), a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware (2017), and postdoctoral training at MIT (2017-2019).

Research interests include rheology of complex fluids, biomaterials, and flow-induced material behavior. Notable awards include the McKnight Presidential Fellow (2025), Marion Milligan Mason Award (2025), and NSF CAREER Award (2021). Her lab has developed scalable biomass-derived microbeads and magnetic-field responsive polymers. Current projects involve hydrogel design for ear infection treatments and advanced scattering techniques.

Advising includes graduate students such as Dr. Kathleen Lauser (now at Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Dr. Benjamin Robertson (now at PPG). Collaborations include NIST and ILL scattering facilities. Lab members actively pursue diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within STEM.