Kasi Research Group

Rajeswari M Kasi

Professor of Chemistry and Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06074

Rajeswari.Kasi@uconn.edu

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota, 2004-2006
• Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• M.Sc. Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India

My research program encompasses all aspects of materials design including (1) Synthesis of hierarchically structured polymers and polymer-hybrid materials with tailored architecture, functionality, and composition, (2) Investigation of self-assembly and structure at various length scales, and (3) Evaluation of unique macroscopic material properties. Three major research areas in my group are (1) Molecular design and structure-properties investigations of new liquid crystalline brush-like or comb-like copolymers, (2) Applications of new liquid crystalline brush-like and comb copolymers in the creation of anisotropically-ordered soft materials, photonics, stimuli responsive materials, and biological delivery platforms and (3) Molecular design of new protein-polymer conjugates for sensing and biocatalysis.

We are a group of polymer chemists who design synthetic strategies to prepare and stabilize unique stimuli-responsive hierarchical structures from liquid crystalline polymers and enzyme-polymer conjugates. Our research program encompasses all aspects of materials design including (1) Synthesis of hierarchically structured polymers and polymer-hybrid materials with tailored architecture, functionality, and composition, (2) Investigation of self-assembly and structure at various length scales, and (3) Evaluation of unique macroscopic material properties.