Latest News in the Group
May 2026: This month, Thanavel Rajangam, PhD, joins the Dingemans group as an AGILE Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Rajangam earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Gachon University, South Korea. At UNC, his research focuses on the development and evaluation of membranes for dialysis and other biomedical applications. Looking forward to learning more, Thanavel!
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We are also excited to share Research Associate Professor Maruti Hegde's publication in Polymer on "Effect of carbon-based 0-D, 1-D, and 2-D nanofillers on the morphology and thermomechanical properties of an amorphous polyetherimide".
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April 2026: ​​​​​​​​Joining the Dingemans group this month is a visiting graduate student, Matteo Lanciotti. Matteo is a PhD candidate at the Polytechnic University of Marche in Italy and focuses on X-ray techniques to study properties of all-aromatic polymers with 2D nanofillers. Welcome to the group, Matteo!
March 2026: ​​​​​​​​Graduate student Maria Furukawa attended the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2026 Meeting in Atlanta, GA to present her work on "Synthesis and self-assembly of an all-aromatic liquid-crystal polyelectrolyte". Maria was awarded both the UNC Graduate Student Transportation Grant and the UNC Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) Travel Award to fund her conference travel. Congrats, Maria!
February 2026: ​​​​​​​​The Dingemans group has recently welcomed a number of new members. Our newest member, graduate student Sam Darer, arrived at UNC-CH after graduating as a dual major in Chemistry and Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The group also welcomes undergraduate researchers Lily Thorson, Jake Sanchez, and Peter Tran.
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Welcome to the group, Sam, Lily, Jake, and Peter! We are excited to have you all!
November 2025: Congrats to Dr. John Migliore for publishing in Polymer on the investigation of liquid-crystal, rheological, and mechanical properties on a series of sulfonated, all-aromatic polyamides varied by rod-length and polymer chain end-groups.
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Also this month, Dr. John Migliore and graduate student Maria Furukawa were featured in recent articles on their current work. Check out their stories here:
APS Alum Powering Eastman’s Vision for Augmented-Reality Car Glass
In Probing How Polymers Form, Maria Furukawa Unlocks Better Dialysis Membranes​
October 2025: Congratulations to graduate students Mac McCormick and Maria Furukawa for being selected to present their research at the UNC Inaugural Graduate Research Symposium. This symposium, as part of University Research Week, featured 105 poster presentations and six oral presentations from graduate students across humanities and fine arts, social sciences, and STEM disciplines.
​​​​Also, congratulations to undergraduate researcher Allegra Gray, who was selected for a prestigious research Abrams Scholar fellowship.
Check out this story to learn more about Allegra and her research:
A Sister’s Struggle Inspires Allegra Gray’s Quest for Portable Dialysis
September 2025: The Dingemans group has recently welcomed a number of undergraduate researchers: Florencia Nardone, William Mahoney, Jackson Gardner, and Daniel Godfrey.
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Welcome to the group, Florencia, William, Jackson, and Daniel! We are excited to have you all!​
​Also this month, members of the Dingemans lab participated in the 2025 Triangle Student Research Competition (TSRC) hosted by the Materials Research Society (MRS) chapters at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, NCSU, UNC-Greensboro, and NC A&T. This event brought in over 150 students and industry representatives to foster research communication and networking. Graduate student Mac McCormick and postdoc Dr. Chhabilal Regmi presented their research, and graduate student Maria Furukawa served on the MRS organizing committee.
August 2025: Check out some recent articles featuring several members and alumni of the group:
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For Two Scientists, An Enduring Partnership That Redefined Liquid Crystals—and Each Other’s Careers
APS Students Swap the Lab for Food, Fun and Frisbees at Steel String Brewery
Carolina Alum Awarded Fulbright Scholarship to Study Forever Chemicals in India​​
July 2025: Congratulations to graduate student Maria Furukawa for being selected to attend the 2025 National X-ray School (NX School), hosted by Argonne National Laboratory. Geared to early-career graduate students interested in x-ray techniques, the NX School features lectures by experts from academia, industry, and national laboratories and hands-on experiments at the Advanced Photon Source.
June 26th, 2025: Congratulations to Dr. John Migliore on successfully defending his thesis, "Molecular design and solution behavior of rigid and semi-rigid sulfonated, all-aromatic polyamides". Dr. Migliore has accepted a position at Eastman located in Indian Orchard, MA.
June 2025: We're excited to share some of our latest publications in the Journal of Membrane Science, ACS Macromolecules, and PRX Energy. These works demonstrate the fundamental and applied research currently taking place in the Dingemans group.
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Check out some selected highlights here:
APS Scientists Discover Unusual Salt Effect in Synthetic Polymer Solution
Scientists Engineer Heat-Resistant Membrane for Cleaner Energy Systems
May 2025: The 2025 Triangle Soft Matter Workshop held at Duke University was attended by graduate students Maria Furukawa and Mac McCormick. Maria presented a sound bite and poster on the development of high-performance polyamide membrane technologies. Maria also traveled to the University of Georgia in Athens, GA to attend and present a poster at the 2025 Southeast Polymer Forum.
March 2025: This month, during the UNC Chemistry Department Polymer/Materials Research Seminar, graduate student Maria Furukawa presented her 3rd-Year Prospectus. Maria's work focuses on the development of next-generation membrane/separation technologies. Looking forward to seeing where the science goes, Maria!
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In addition to Maria's work in-lab, Maria has also taken on leadership responsibilities in the APS Department as President of the Graduate Student Association.
Check out this story to learn more about Maria and the GSA:
New GSA Leadership Aims to Inspire Connection, Compassionate Grad School Experience
March 2025: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2025 GiveUNC Campaign worked with the Dingemans Lab and graduate student John Migliore to highlight the world-leading research taking place here at UNC.
Check out the video here: 2025 GiveUNC
January 2025: The Dingemans group has recently welcomed a number of new members. Our newest member, graduate student Mac McCormick, arrived at UNC-CH after graduating as a double major in Chemistry and Polymer Science & Engineering from the University of Southern Mississippi. The group also welcomes undergraduate researchers Allegra Gray, Amelia Varner, and David Major.
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Welcome to the group, Mac, Allegra, Amelia, and David! We are excited to have you all!
November 2024: Congratulations to graduate student Maria Furukawa for taking 1st Place at the 2024 Applied Physical Sciences Department Research Symposium. Maria presented on next-generation membrane and separation technologies among the broad range of impactful research taking place in the department. Well deserved, Maria!
​Check out the announcement here to learn more:
Three UNC Students Earn Top Honors at APS Research Symposium
October 2024: Graduate students Maria Furukawa, John Migliore, and Research Associate Professor Maruti Hegde traveled to the 2024 Southeast Polymer Forum at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN this month. Dr. Hegde presented on "Mixing 1D rodlike polymers and 2D graphene oxide platelets; a platform for creating structural nanocomposites". Thank you to all the organizers! We appreciate the opportunity to attend and look forward to the next event!
September 2024: Joining the Dingemans group this month is Chhabilal Regmi, PhD (AGILE Innovation Postdoctoral Fellow). Dr. Regmi earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Sun Moon University and recently served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Membrane Research Laboratory at the University of Arkansas. At UNC, Dr. Regmi will be developing high-performance polymer-nanocomposite membranes for water filtration and dialysis applications. Looking forward to learning more, Chabi!
June 2024: This month graduate student Maria Furukawa leaves for 10-weeks to travel to Dresden, Germany, to take part in the International Research Experiences for Students (IRES). The program matches Maria with an academic advisor at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research - Dresden (IPF). The 10-week experience will focus on performing soft matter research and participating in social/cultural excursions. Safe travels, Maria!
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Check out Maria's experience here:
On a Personal Mission, Student Aims to Transform Dialysis Treatment
May 2024: The start of the summer welcomes Abegael Johnson and Anna Bronson. Both Abegael and Anna are current UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduates. They will be working on new graphene oxide + polymer and bio-based polymer projects starting in the group. Welcome to the group, Abegael and Anna!
March 2024: Congratulations to graduate student Maria Furukawa! This month Maria earned the title of PhD Candidate after passing the second-year Doctoral Qualifying Exams. We are excited to continue learning where this research takes you. Excellent work, Maria!
February 2024: The Dingemans group welcomes Lexi Handley (UNC undergraduate student) to the group. In collaboration with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Lexi will be synthesizing rigid monomers to control the self-assembly of polyelectrolytes. Welcome to the group, Lexi!
January 2024: Congrats to Dr. Anna Fraser for publishing in Polymer on the synthesis, mechanical characterization, and membrane capabilities of a series of sulfonated, all-aromatic polyamides and poly(benzoxazole-co-amides). This marks Anna's 3rd publication in the group!
October 2023: Research Associate Professor Maruti Hegde and graduate students Maria Furukawa and John Migliore attended the 2023 Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) in Durham, NC. Maruti presented work on polymer + graphene oxide hybrid solutions and coatings. John presented on the solution properties of water-soluble, all-aromatic polyamides. Maria presented on the control of liquid-crystal properties for a self-assembling high-performance polymer at TSRC in the same month.
May 2023: We are excited to announce that graduate student John Migliore has accepted an internship opportunity at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH with the Air Force Research laboratory (AFRL). John will spend the summer developing novel composite materials for the Materials and Processes Division at AFRL. Safe travels, John!
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Check out more about John's experience here:
APS Student Tests the Limits of an Ancient Artform to Increase Aircraft Range
April 2023: Two exciting events were attended by the Dingemans group in April! UNC MRS and CHANL hosted the 2023 Art in Science Competition. Researchers across UNC were invited to submit their science through a creative medium. Winners received over $200 in prizes. Also, UNC MRS hosted a table at the North Carolina Science Expo. Attendees of all ages performed a bridge-building activity to demonstrate the importance of material selection during construction.
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March 2023: Members of the Dingemans lab, in collaboration with UNC MRS, hosted student research seminars at JSNN (Greensboro, NC) and NCCU (Durham, NC) this month. The events consisted of presentations from members of all organizations. We also made plenty of time for mixing and mingling between undergraduate and graduate student researchers.
January 2023: The end of 2022 was a busy season that saw multiple publications. Check out our latest journal articles in ACS Applied Polymer Materials, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and Polymer. These works highlight our latest contributions to membrane and separation technologies.
November 2022: The Dingemans group would like to wish a warm welcome to our newest member, graduate student Maria Furukawa! Maria spent the last 3 years working in a polymer R&D setting before pursuing her PhD here at UNC-CH. We look forward to learning and working alongside you, Maria!
November 14th, 2022: Congratulations to Dr. Anna Fraser on successfully defending her thesis, "Sulfonated all-aromatic polyamides for water purification". Dr. Fraser has accepted a position at Solvay, located in Alpharetta, GA.
October 2022: This month began with another successful Triangle Student Research Competition. Organization efforts were led by graduate and undergraduate students from the Dingemans lab, UNC-CH, Duke, NCCU, UNC-G, and NC A&T. The event hosted over 100 participants from academia and industry. Thank you to everyone who participated, and we hope to see you again next year!
August 2022: For the months of August and September, members of the Dingemans lab (in collaboration with the Materials Research Society at Chapel Hill and the UNC Graduate School) will be hosting a four-part NSF - GRFP Workshop Series. The series will consist of lectures by Dr. Sophie McCoy and Ashalla Freeman. Participants will also have the opportunity to work with current NSF Fellows to peer review their personal and research statements.
June 2022: Members of the Dingemans lab, in collaboration with the Applied Physical Science and Chemistry Departments at UNC, helped organize this year's Sciathon event! Thank you to all the volunteers, industry, and graduate student participants that make this a special opportunity to show case novel approaches to everyday challenges.
May 2022: The Dingemans lab is proud to announce that Dr. Theo Dingemans will be accepting the role of Applied Physical Sciences Department Chair here at UNC Chapel Hill effective May 2022. With a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students in the APS Department at UNC, we are excited to watch as the department continues to flourish. What an incredible opportunity! Congratulations, Theo!
April 2022: Congratulations to graduate student John Migliore! John recently received Honorable Mention from the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). And, shortly after, John earned the title of PhD Candidate after passing his second-year Doctoral Qualifying Exams. Amazing work, John!
March 2022: The Dingemans group is excited to announce that post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Gabby Esposito, has accepted a position at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, OH. We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication that Gabby contributed to the Dingemans group and are looking forward to watching you continue to grow. Congrats, Gabby!
January 27th, 2022: Science in the Stacks, a STEM outreach organization, received recognition on UNC's Discover Webpage. Work by organization members and Graduate Student Executive Officers John Migliore and Anna Fraser have played an active role in bringing the wonders of science to children in the greater Chapel Hill area. See the full story here:
September-October 2021: Graduate students John Migliore and Anna Fraser led organization efforts with a team of UNC, NC-State, and Duke graduate students in preparation for the 9th Annual Triangle Student Research Competition. The event, hosted by UNC, NC-State, and Duke's Materials Research Societies and Electrochemical Societies, brought in over 100 students and industry representatives to promote scientific communication and help foster collaboration.
May 2021: Our senior undergraduate researcher, Christian DeSimone, graduated this spring. Christian will begin working at Beghou Consulting this summer. We will surely miss such an incredible lab member and are wishing you the best as the latest Tar Heel graduate!
May 2021: In collaboration with the Madsen group at Virginia Tech, Nature Materials recently accepted our most recent work, "Solid-state rigid-rod polymer composite electrolytes with nanocrystalline lithium ion pathways", demonstrating the combined properties of ionic liquids with a liquid crystalline polymer for the fabrication of next-generation, lithium-based batteries.
February 2021: As members of Science in the Stacks, a STEM outreach organization, graduate students Anna Fraser and John Migliore performed a virtual presentation and walked K-12 students through an activity that highlighted the importance of materials in extreme climates.
January 2021: After two years of incredible research, the Dingemans group is excited to announce that post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Shreya Choudhury, will be leaving UNC to accepted a position at Corning, Inc. in Corning, NY. We are wishing you the best! Congrats, Shreya!
November 2020: The Dingemans group welcomes graduate student John Migliore! John received a Chemistry B.S. from Bethel University in St. Paul, MN. At UNC, he will begin elucidating the self-assembly and solution properites of rod-like polyelectrolytes for biomimetic applications. Welcome to the group, John!
Summer 2020: We are excited to announce that this past summer saw the publication of multiple papers and journal covers from UNC PhD graduate Dr. Ryan Fox. Dr. Fox's recognition for his work at UNC is well-deserved; congrats!
Irreversible Shear-Activated Gelation of a Liquid Crystalline Polyelectrolyte
Observation of transition cascades in sheared liquid crystalline polymers
Nanofibrillar Ionic Polymer Composites Enable High-Modulus Ion-Conducting Membranes
May 2020: Our senior undergraduate researchers, Brian Yang and Jacob Yankey, graduated this spring. My, how the time flies! Congratulations and great work! We're looking forward to watching your careers blossom as new UNC graduates.
April 6th, 2020: Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Fox on successfully defending his thesis, "Solution Structure, Rheology, and Nanocomposites of a Liquid Crystalline Polyelectrolyte". Dr. Fox will begin working for Exponent this summer.
Spring 2020: We helped in manufacturing face shields for front-line COVID-19 workers and taught others how to do the same at UNC's BeAM Makerspace. Check out the story here:
February 2020: This month saw the publication of Dr. Maruti Hegde's paper in Nature Communications, "Strong graphene oxide nanocomposites from aqueous hybrid liquid crystals".
February 2020: The Dingemans group welcomes Dr. Gabby Esposito as the newest postdoctoral fellow in the lab. Gabby recently received her PhD from Leigh University and graduated from Georgia Tech with a Polymer Engineering degree. Welcome, Gabby!
January 2020: The Dingemans group welcomes Dr. Michael Bakas, a visiting faculty member from the Army Research Office (ARO), and undergraduate researcher Christian DeSimone! Welcome to the group, Michael and Christian!
October 2019: In collaboration with the Creativity Hubs team, we were featured by Innovate Carolina for our work on water purification membrane technology. Take a look at the story here:
August 2019: We welcome undergraduate researchers Jacob Yankey and Brian Yang. They will be focusing on the development of high performance polyamides for heavy metal capture and process engineering applications. Welcome to the group, Jacob and Brian!
July 2019: We are excited to announce that Ryan Fox will be leaving for a six month stay at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) to perform neutron scattering experiments as a Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Research (DOE SCGSR) fellow. Safe travels, Ryan!
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February 2019: In collaboration with the Madsen group at Virginia Tech, we recently published a report in Nature Communications evidencing the double-helix self-assembly of a polyelectrolyte in water. The paper, "Double helical conformation and extreme rigidity in a rodlike polyelectrolyte", highlights the novelty of a fully synthetic, hierarchical self-assembling polyelectrolyte.
January 2019: The Dingemans group welcomes Dr. Shreya Choudhury as a postdoctoral fellow. We are looking forward to working alongside you and welcome to the group, Shreya!
Prior to 2019: Want to learn more about the group? Don't worry, we are continuing to add updates regarding the full group history!