Scott Thomas Milner

Scott Thomas Milner serves as the William H. Joyce Chair Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering within the College of Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. His research spans polymer physics, computational materials science, and electrocatalysis with over 198 publications and an h-index of 57.

His research interests focus on polymer dynamics, block copolymer self-assembly, and molecular simulation techniques. Key areas include entanglement engineering in polymer melts, nanostructure formation in conjugated polymers, and ion transport mechanisms in membranes. His work frequently employs coarse-grained and atomistic simulations to bridge theoretical models with experimental characterization.

Current research trends show increasing emphasis on

• electrocatalytic interfaces for energy applications
• structure-property relationships in organic photovoltaic materials
• computational design of polymer membranes for ion separation

Scientific recognition includes:

• William H. Joyce Endowed Chair Professorship
• 14932 total citations (Scopus)
• Leadership in 14 NSF-funded projects since 1997

Milner directs multiple active grants including Nanostructure, ion affinity, and mobility in polymer membranes (NSF 2024-2027) and Combining DFT with classical simulations to predict solvation and cation effects (NSF 2024-2027). His team collaborates extensively with national laboratories and industry partners on polymer membrane development and electrocatalysis research, maintaining strong ties with the Materials Research Institute at Penn State.

His laboratory specializes in computational polymer physics, utilizing advanced simulation strategies to predict polymer properties and nanostructure formation, with recent work focusing on conjugated polymer crystallinity and membrane ion transport mechanisms.