Principal Investigator

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Email: rbh2vu [at] virginia [dot] edu

Google Scholar

Prof. Phillip A. Taylor obtained his B.S.E and M.S.E in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Delaware under the direction of Profs. Arthi Jayaraman and April M. Kloxin. During his time as a Postdoctoral Appointee at Sandia National Laboratories, he worked with Drs. Gary Grest and Mark Stevens. Prof. Taylor has received numerous awards for his research contributions including the UVA Rising Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship, AIChE 8B Biomaterials First Place Graduate Student Talk award (2021), NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Training Fellowship, and Robert L. Pigford Fellowship at the University of Delaware.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

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Muhammed Zeeshan Ahmed

ctb8tv [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering - Texas A&M University, 2024

  • Ph.D. Student - Joined Fall 2024

Zeeshan is working on reactive atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the structure and behavior of dynamic covalent networks and self-healing hydrogels. His research focuses on understanding how polymer design influences the rheology and self-healing properties of hydrogels, utilizing machine learning models to analyze these relationships. Outside work, Zeeshan enjoys playing chess, talking strolls through nature, and binge-watching classic movies.

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Tam Anh Nguyen

wjt3ux [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering - Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 2019

  • M.S. Chemical Engineering - National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 2022

  • Ph.D. Student - Joined Fall 2025

Tam comes from Saigon, Vietnam and joined  the Taylor Lab in Fall 2025. In the lab, she studies nanoparticle diffusion through bottlebrush polymer networks using molecular simulations and machine learning. When she’s not in the lab, Tam loves vibing to music and movies from the ’60s through the early 2000s, cooking, playing disc golf, and spending time in nature. As a passionate home cook, she can prepare dishes from diverse culinary traditions, including Vietnamese, Thai, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese cuisines.

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Kaleb Brandon Chan

zym2au [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • B.S. Chemical Engineering - Virginia Polytech Inst St U, 2024

  • Ph.D. Student - Joined Fall 2024

Kaleb’s research focuses on understanding peptide-based polyelectrolyte complexation and transport. Specifically, he works with modeling polyelectrolyte systems to determine the effect of stereochemistry on  complexation. Outside of the lab, Kaleb enjoys cooking, fishing, and checking out new breweries.

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Gadrich Amuetei Ayitey

dca3vu [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • B.S. Petrochemical Engineering - Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) , 2024

  • Ph.D. Student - Joined Fall 2025

Gadrich is working on designing mechanoresponsive hydrogels using rheology-informed neural networks. His research focuses on using Machine Learning (ML) with rheological constraints which requires less training data to model the stress-induced self thickening and thinning properties of hydrogels, reducing the need for time-intensive Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. Outside work, he enjoys watching sci-fi movies and playing video games.

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Soham Irtiza Swapnil

efe3wp [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • B.S. Biomedical Engineering - Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2022

  • Ph.D. Student - Joined Fall 2024

Swapnil is currently working on designing tough, biomimetic, interpenetrating network hydrogels using molecular dynamics and machine learning. He is using his previous experiences in hydrogel development and machine learning to design hydrogels using molecular dynamics. Outside of work, he spends his time playing video games and watching cat videos.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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Wes Coleman DeJarnette

ndg3fj [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • Undergraduate ChemE Student - Joined Fall 2025

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Amy Quoc Tran

uxf9uj [at] virginia [dot] edu

  • Undergraduate ChemE Student - Joined Fall 2025

JOIN US!

The Taylor Lab is always seeking driven and enthusiastic students and trainees. Prospective researchers should have a strong interest in computational research (simulations and/or machine learning), materials science, biomaterials, and/or polymer science. Please reach out to Prof. Taylor [rbh2vu [at] virginia [dot] edu] for available research positions and openings.