Jonathan Seppala

Jon Seppala Profile Photo
Polymers and Complex Fluids Group

jonathan.seppala@nist.gov

(301) 975-2836

Employment

2014-Present: Chemical Engineer, Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

2012-2014: Research Associate, Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology

2010-2012: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Delaware

2008-2010: Visiting Scholar, University of Delaware

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University

B.S., Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Jonathan Seppala is currently the technical lead in the additive manufacturing effort in the Polymer Processing and Rheology Project. His current research focuses on using infrared thermography, rheology, fracture mechanics, and neutron and x-ray reflectivity to study the polymer physics of thermoplastic additive manufacturing processes. Jonathan earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University studying the rheology and thermodynamics of polymer nanocomposites. Following his Ph.D., Jonathan worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher studying thin film self-assembly of block copolymers and equilibrium dynamics of amphiphilic micelles at the University of Delaware. Prior to joining the Polymer Processing and Rheology project, Jonathan studied ballistic witness materials and shear thickening fluids as part of the Personal Body Armor Project at NIST.  

Research Interests

  • Soft matter additive manufacturing
  • Infrared thermography
  • Rheology and scattering techniques

Previous Research Interests

  • Solution assembly of amphiphilic micelles
  • Block copolymer self-assembly in thin films
  • Polymer nanocomposites

Professional Affiliations

  • American Physical Society
  • Society of Rheology

Selected non-NIST Publications

J.E. Seppala, R.L. Lewis, T.H. Epps. Spatial and Orientation Control of Cylindrical Nanostructures in ABA Triblock Copolymer Thin Films by Raster Solvent Vapor Annealing, ACS Nano, 2012, 6(11), 9855-9862.