Newell Washburn

Newell Washburn is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, with a courtesy appointment in Materials Science and Engineering. He is affiliated with the Mellon College of Science and leads the Washburn Group, focusing on sustainable materials chemistry and machine learning applications. His work emphasizes reducing environmental impact through innovations in biobased polymers, cement systems, and advanced manufacturing.

Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry (University of California, Berkeley, 1998); B.S. in Chemistry (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993). Prior roles include Research Chemist at NIST (2000–2004) and Post-Doctoral Associate at the University of Minnesota (1998–2000).

Research interests span materials sustainability, polymer formulation, and machine learning-driven design. Key projects include developing hierarchical machine learning algorithms for rapid material optimization, biobased polyurethanes, and low-carbon cement alternatives like LC3. His work bridges laboratory experimentation with computational modeling, preparing students for interdisciplinary challenges.

Recent articles highlight advancements in cement rheology modeling, autonomous laboratory networks, and drug design via diffusion models. Awards include the Covestro Global Science Award (2020) and the Coulter Foundation Translational Research Award (2010).

Labs/Teams: The Washburn Group collaborates across disciplines, integrating chemistry, engineering, and data science to address global sustainability goals.