Instructors

Seminars are taught by world-renowned faculty and industry leaders.

Dr. Carol Barry is a faculty member of the Plastics Engineering Department at UMass Lowell. As well as teaching courses in plastics processing and computer-aided engineering, she coordinates the undergraduate plastics processing laboratories. Dr. Barry is also an active researcher in these areas.

Dr. Bridgette Budhlall received her Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Her expertise is in the application of nanoscience and nanotechnology to nanomanufacturing issues specific to emulsion polymerization via free-radical polymerization techniques. She is also experienced in polymer characterization and materials analysis. She has served as a researcher on developing smart materials for nanomedicine applications, and has eight years of experience working in the synthesis of polymer latexes for coatings and developed photoresist polymers and immersion fluids for microlithography applications. Dr. Budhlall is an Assistant Professor at UMass Lowell in the Nanomanufacturing Center and the Department of Plastics Engineering. Dr. Budhlall’s research focuses on the intersection of colloidal science and polymer science with an emphasis on synthesis and characterization of functional nano-biocolloids.

Professor Stephen Burke Driscoll has been a faculty member in the Plastics Engineering Department for almost 40 years. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in polymeric materials, additives and modifiers for plastics materials, testing / characterization with an emphasis on dynamic mechanical rheological testing, and marketing. Professor Driscoll was past Chair of the ASTM D20 Committee on Plastics Sections on Long-Term Properties and Dynamic Mechanical Properties, the D20 Advisory Subcommittee, a member of the D20 Executive Subcommittee, an appointed member of ASTM International COTCO, and an elected member of the ASTM International Board of Directors. He is a Fellow of ASTM International as well as a Fellow of The Society of Plastics Engineers. He is one of very few SPE members also awarded the Honored Service Member recognition. He received the SPE International Education Award in 2004. He has presented / published more than 100 technical articles, has organized several plastics conferences, consulted for many international plastics-oriented companies, and is a United Nations Consulting Fellow for Rheology.

J. George Drobny President of Drobny Polymer Associates, is an international consultant in the field of polymer processing and product development, author and translator of technical books and magazine articles. He has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Plastics Engineering at UML since 1991. His career spans more than 35 years in the rubber and plastics industries, mostly having responsibility as a senior engineer or R&D executive in Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, South America, USA and Canada. He is the author of Technology of Fluoropolymers (CRC, 2000) and Radiation Technology of Polymers (CRC, 2002) and co-inventor of three US patents.

Suhas Kulkarni is the President of FIMMTECH, a consulting firm that specializes in services related to injection molding. He is a graduate of the Plastics Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has a Bachelor’s in Polymer Engineering from the University of Poona, India. He has 15 years of experience as a process engineer. His main area of expertise is Scientific Processing for Injection Molding. Based on his experience, he has developed a custom software called Nautilus, that aids the complete process development routine to production release. He has given numerous presentations on injection molding related topics and written several articles. He also teaches a plastics and molding course at the University of California, San Diego.

Dr. Francis Lai is a faculty member in the Plastics Engineering Department at UMass Lowell. He teaches courses in process control, processing theory and CAE. An active researcher in the area of computer process control, artificial intelligence, experimental design and SPC/SQC, Dr. Lai serves as a consultant to companies in the processing field.

Dr. Stephen McCarthy is a faculty member of the Plastics Engineering Department at UMass Lowell. He is actively involved in research and consulting, has presented seminars and short courses both nationally and internationally, and has held positions at Owens Corning Fiberglass and the Textile Research Institute. He is also the Director of The Institute for Plastics Innovation at the University.

Dr. Joey L. Mead is the Freudenberg-NOK Associate Professor of Plastics Engineering. She has over 10 years industrial and research experience in elastomers. She is actively involved in developing the elastomers concentration for the master’s program in plastics, including teaching courses in rubber technology, thermoplastic elastomers, design with elastomers and processing of elastomers. Her research interests include properties and processing of thermoplastic elastomers.

Dr. Ramawamy Nagarajan is an assistant professor in the Plastics Engineering Department at UMass Lowell. Dr. Nagarajan’s research is in the area of “greener” routes to the synthesis and processing of polymeric materials. Dr. Nagarajan has developed enzymatic/biomimetic routes for synthesizing electrically conducting and photoresponsive polymers. His teaching interests include polymers from renewable resources, rubber technology, thermal and morphological characterization of materials. He has authored roughly 30 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and is named co-inventor in seven patents related to enzyme catalysis.

John Perdikoulias is a licensed Professional Engineer with 20 years of experience in the plastics industry. He has a Master’s Degree in Engineering from McMaster University and a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo in Ontario. He has designed numerous screws and over 200 dies for the tubular (blown) film process including the world’s first commercially available 8- and 9-layer blown film dies. John has also designed many dies for profile pipe, tubing, blow molding and coating applications. In 1990, he co-founded Compuplast International Inc., a company that provides engineering services, product development assistance and specialty flow simulation software specifically designed for the polymer processing industry.

Dr. Stephen Petrie is a professor in the Plastics Engineering Department at UMass Lowell. He teaches courses in adhesives, composites, physical properties of plastics, textiles, and applied statistics. As an active researcher in these areas, Dr. Petrie serves as a consultant to business and industry.

Andy Routsis is an alumnus of and adjunct professor for the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Plastics Engineering Department. He has worked hand-in-hand with all levels of processing, tooling, and design personnel. A. Routsis Associates (a division of RJG), founded by Andy Routsis in 1982, has provided training and plastics engineering support to over 2,000 companies worldwide and over 70 educational training institutions. As well as providing onsite training and technical support for all aspects of plastics part design and production, A. Routsis Associates has also produced over 60 video-training programs, 20 DVDs, and over 190 interactive training programs for the plastics industry. They have pioneered the use of 3-D animation and CD-ROM technology for training in the plastics industry.

Assistant Professor Daniel Schmidt began working with nanomaterials at Carnegie Mellon University as an undergraduate member of the Buckyball Project. After graduating with degrees in Materials Science and Chemistry he joined the group of Prof. Emmanuel P. Giannelis at Cornell University and pursued a Ph.D. in the area of layered silicate nanocomposites. He then accepted a post-doctoral contract with BASF AG at the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, where he developed nanoporous polymers for thermal insulation. At UMass Lowell, his interests have been in the areas of porous materials, composites and nanocomposites, network formation (organic, inorganic, and hybrid), and polymer-derived ceramics.

Steve Thibeault is the President of Poly-Ject Inc., a small custom injection molder and mold maker located in Amherst, NH. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Plastics Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has designed and built over 200 injection molds for products ranging from tight tolerance military connectors to sporting goods, medical devices and everything in between. He also does all of the part designs at Poly-Ject for a wide range of customers and applications.