Thomas M. Truskett
Associate Professor
Chemical Engineering
Paul D. and Betty Robertson Meek Centennial Fellow
Phone: (512) 471-6308
Email: truskett@che.utexas.edu
Website:http://www.che.utexas.edu/~truskett
Dr. Thomas Truskett earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University in 2001. He joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 2002. In 2004, he was named a Packard Fellow in Science and Engineering by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Dr. Truskett seeks to develop logical and quantitative means to model the structural, thermodynamic and kinetic properties of “soft” condensed-phase systems, such as molecular fluids, liquid crystals, colloidal suspensions and protein solutions. His research group is also investigating the physical chemistry of solid-liquid interfaces and nano-confined materials to better understand how materials behave when confined to nanoscopic scales, with particular interest in the supercooled liquid and glassy states of matter. These types of systems play an important role in many applications including the development of new composite materials for sporting equipment and light-weight military armor. Finally, Truskett is studying water’s role as a solvent in processes such as biomolecular folding transitions, the binding and docking of proteins to DNA, of drugs to proteins and of drugs to nucleic acids. These studies seek to clarify ways in which biomolecules degrade, reducing their shelf life and hence their ability to serve as effective new pharmaceuticals.
Research interests:
- Solid-liquid interfaces
- Nano-confined materials
- Water’s role in biological processes
- Relaxation processes in supercooled liquids