Morgan Hawker

Morgan Hawker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at California State University, Fresno. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from UC Santa Cruz and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Colorado State University. Her postdoctoral work at Tufts University focused on silk-based biomedical materials through the NIH-funded TEACRS program.

Her research focuses on plasma-modifying polymeric materials for biomedical applications, including natural polymers like silk fibroin. Key areas include tuning material surface chemistry, developing hydrophobic materials, and creating functionalized biomaterials. Teaching emphasizes general/physical chemistry with a focus on growth mindset and metacognitive strategies.

Dr. Hawker’s lab actively engages undergraduates in synthesizing, modifying, and characterizing polymers. She has secured NIH grants for biomedical materials research and maintains a lab website (Hawker Research Lab). Professional activities include teaching Chem 1A, Chem 1AL, and advanced courses in physical chemistry.

Her work bridges material science and education innovation, with notable contributions in plasma surface engineering and specifications grading methodologies in STEM education.