Paul Russo

Dr. Paul Russo is Hightower Chair in Biopolymers and Professor at Georgia Tech's School of Materials Science and Engineering, with a joint appointment in Chemistry. His research explores rodlike polymers including cellulose derivatives, plant viruses, and aromatic materials, with emphasis on molecular transport characterization using techniques like fluorescence photobleaching recovery and pulsed field gradient NMR. Applications include amyloid protein stability studies, organophilic polypeptide hybrid particles, and oil dispersion technologies.

Research interests span biopolymer physics, colloidal array formation, liquid crystalline systems, and nanomaterial synthesis. His group develops characterization methods for complex fluids and investigates polymer behavior in biological contexts.

Publications demonstrate innovations in light scattering techniques, educational laboratory methods, drug delivery systems, and structural analysis of supramolecular complexes. Recent work advances instrumentation, biomaterial design, and therapeutic applications.

Leads research teams including the OPALL initiative and engages in interdisciplinary collaborations across materials science and biochemistry.