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Department of Plastics Engineering

Ramaswamy Nagarajan
Ramaswamy Nagarajan
Assistant Professor

Expertise: Biocatalysis, sustainable & greener routes to advanced materials (electronic, photo-responsive polymers, molecularly integrated hybrid nanomaterials, materials for energy conversion/storage), elastomers, thermal and morphological characterization of materials, roll to roll manufacture of flexible electronic products.


Phone: (978) 934 3454
Office: BL 209A

Educational Background

B.S. in Chemistry, Loyola College, University of Madras, India
B.Tech. in Rubber Technology, Anna University, India
Ph.D. Polymer Science- Plastics Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Scholarly Interests

Interdisciplinary research in developing ‘Greener’ routes to advanced functional materials (electronic, photo-responsive polymers) and therapeutic materials. Biocatalytic polymerization, polymers from renewable resources, mechanistic aspects of enzyme catalysis, developing novel eco-friendly biomimetic catalysts, biofuels, materials for energy conversion and storage. Investigation of novel technologies for sensing and structural health monitoring of engineering components.

Bio Sketch

Dr. Nagarajan’s research is in the area of greener routes to the synthesis and processing of polymeric materials. Dr. Nagarajan has developed ‘benign’ enzymatic/biomimetic routes for synthesizing electrically conducting & photoresponsive polymers. Dr. Nagarajan also has extensive experience in molecularly integrated hybrid nanomaterials and in incorporating electro-active/ photo-responsive polymers into bio-based materials (such as DNA, enzymes/proteins) to create novel responsive hybrid materials. More recently he has also investigated the enzymatic modification of ‘Green tea catechins’ for the design of novel therapeutic materials (anticancer applications).

Dr. Nagarajan’s industrial experience include design and development of detection systems for explosives at Advanced Surface Technology Products Inc. and his more recent role as innovations scientist at FLEXcon Inc. specializing in the areas of coatings and roll to roll manufacture of flexible electronic products.

Dr. Nagarajan’s teaching interest include polymers from renewable resources [a new course ‘26.596: Plastics, elastomers and additives from renewable resource’ introduced in 2007], Rubber technology, Thermal and morphological characterization of materials.  Dr. Nagarajan’s combination of experience in science and engineering will be useful in advancing Plastics engineering department’s research and educational efforts in the area of renewable plastics and elastomeric materials.


Department of Plastics Engineering - One University Avenue, Lowell, MA 01854
Phone: 978-934-3420 Fax: 978-458-4141 Contact us

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