Our latest publication is out now! Led by Jenny, we study charged-neutral polymer blends and show that divalent ion identity strongly influences the nanostructure. we even report microphase separation at lengthscales typically observed in block copolymers! Read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

APS Meeting abstracts for Denver deadline was extend to October 31! Consider submitting to the "Engineered Biopolymers and Living Materials" focus session organized by Melody Morris and me. We invite abstracts covering research using polymer physics for engineered biopolymers and living materials.

excited to announce that we've been awarded an NSF DMREF grant to study crosslinkable photoresists for EUV lithography! can't wait to work with the great team of e researchers at the University of Illinois on this project. learn more here: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/an-nsf-...

Come be my newest colleague! jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

Sec. Kennedy is, as usual, lying. Scientists and physicians across the country and indeed around the world are aghast at what he's been doing.

great day (and view!!) at the @als.lbl.gov User Meeting today!

the second Loo Lab paper is out! here we use a combined SAXS/SANS approach to study the phase behavior of charged-neutral polymer blends. despite being macroscopically miscible, these blends form disordered nanostructures due to ionic interactions pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

If you're a UCLA researcher (PI, grad student, etc) with an NSF, NIH or other suddenly suspended grant, please email or DM me. I'm trying to confirm what the suspension letters say and how extensive the NIH suspensions are. Email: Mikhail at calmatters dot org

my group is looking to hire a postdoc to work on a variety of polymer-related projects of their choosing! If you know of any outstanding candidates that are looking for postdoctoral positions, please send them my way

“More than 140 employees of the National Science Foundation have signed a letter denouncing what they described as efforts to undermine one of the country’s main science funding agencies.”

do you ever stare at the ceiling and think about how the worldwide scientific establishment did the impossible and created a COVID vaccine in under a year and the response of the general public has been to go on an unstoppable rampage to destroy science and scientists

Senate appropriators showed today they are *not* down with Trump's proposed budget cuts for NASA and NSF. (Likely NOAA too, but can't say for 100% yet.) Long way to go to a law. But this is rare good news for scientists this year. www.science.org/content/arti...

SCOOP www.importantcontext.news/p/national-s...

When history marks the point where we lost the future to China, this will be it.

check out this interview with one of our amazing undergrad researchers, Aidiel! Aidiel will graduate from UW-Madison in August and start his PhD in ChemE at University of Minnesota this fall. We are so proud of Aidiel in the Loo Lab! engineering.wisc.edu/blog/curiosi...

first Loo Lab paper is out now in @pubs.acs.org! here we show how polymer blends can tune Li ion solvation site and enhance ion transport read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

New @rollingstone.com by me: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol... Judges have told Trump, if he wants #DOGE -style austerity, he must get statutory reorg. authority from Congress. The GOP's Reorganizing Govt. Act of 2025 would give him exactly that. Extra material: douglaslucas.com/blog/2025/06...

Baldwin to RFK Jr: "Is funding for Alzheimer's research centers DEI? Because you're holding up $65m for 14 of those centers in 9 states, including UW Madison. Is funding for cancer centers DEI? Because you're holding up $47m in cancer center support grants at 9 cancer centers in 8 states."

we finally got around to updating the group website! read about all of the group's accomplishments this semester here: loolab.che.wisc.edu/news/

🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants. Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.

The cuts to science funding *alone* will generate a Great Recession-sized hole in the economy. "It’s less a 'self-inflicted wound' and more 'jumping head-first into a wood chipper.'”

BTW. If you’re a scientist and are feeling hollowed out, depressed, fried, frustrated, confused, and simply exhausted by everything, I understand you. You are perfectly sane and you are not alone.

A 50% cut to science funding (which is close to what Trump is proposing for NIH) would result in huge negative long-term economic outcomes: *7.6% cut in GDP *8.6% cut in federal revenues *equivalents of making the average American $10,000 poorer

Happy Earth Day! check out some of the research the CBE department at UW-Madison is conducting to address current sustainability challenges: engineering.wisc.edu/blog/how-che...

I created and taught a machine learning course for chemical engineers this semester. In my last lecture I cover ethical issues and I told a story about the connection between chemical physics, large language models, and copyright law. Read on if you want to know more!

go dubs

Harvard will not comply. “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” — Harvard President Alan M. Garber www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

SCAM ALERT. This is a fake conference that ripped off my and other people’s names to trick people into registering. There is no such conference that I or the others shown were invited or agreed to. We are working to try to get this fraud taken down from the web. chemsymposia.com

If you don't want to see this horrible garbage happen in every future high-stakes election, make sure it demonstrably fails in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by helping elect Susan Crawford

Some more details on our terminated NIH grant, including quotes detailing the direct harm this termination has on our freshmen and sophomore students. Thanks to @stephmachado.bsky.social and @globeri.bsky.social for highlighting this. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/27/m...

Welp. It happened. Our NIH training grant was terminated on Friday. Just highlighting this incredibly derisive language used in our termination notice. To focus on the positives, see some of the great things our undergraduates have done over the last couple of years: web.uri.edu/esteemed/

that’s a wrap on APS Global Summit! four oral presentations and one poster presentation from the Loo Lab. Every day these students make me so proud 🥰

We need to organize--let’s help each other. NIH is cancelling grants, but it's not clear exactly what they're cancelling and why. Without this information, we can't respond. I've started a Google Sheet to track grant cancellations. Please add any canceled grants you know of and spread the word!

check out some work from my postdoc that was finally published! In collaboration with @molecularfoundry.lbl.gov, we examine how pattern roughness evolves through two distinct pattern transfer protocols from BCPs into Si: www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/jou...

Abstract submission is open for AIChE 2025! This year I'm co-chairing a new 8A session with Bryan Paulsen & @leosapien.bsky.social , Polymer Structural Characterization. Please check it out! Session info: aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/p... Abstract Submission: www.aiche.org/annual/cfa

live look at me an assistant professor trying to submit two federal grants this week

Chemical engineers vs chemists

The Loo Lab is ready to tackle 2025! We had an amazing 2024 with lots of firsts and wins and we are excited to see what 2025 has in store for us!

2024 is wrapping up: last proposal submitted, final exam graded, one more faculty meeting to go! I just need to pretend that every deadline in January does not exist

Congratulations to Professor Porosoff for founding ChemESky #chemesky cc: @dlipomi.bsky.social @whitneysloo.bsky.social @andrewrosen.bsky.social (just 3 ChemE profs off the top of my head)

Did some tidying up of the links for chemistry related starter packs, arranged loosely by subject area, and added who maintains the list so you know who to speak with if you'd like to be added! tinyurl.com/ChemSkyStart... #ChemSky #Chemistry #Chemists #StarterPacks 🧪

too all the newcomers, Augustus Caesar la Salad welcomes you to #chemsky

I’ve added quite a few new polymer scientists to this starter pack over the last couple days! Check them out! #chemsky #polymersky Also, always appreciate the help in finding people! Comment/DM to be added and continue to share :) go.bsky.app/AgjxzFa

hello friends! I am excited to build a community here to discuss all things science-related. I can't wait to celebrate everyone's new papers, awards, and accomplishments here