Welcome to the Webb Group at Princeton!
We are a research group in the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Princeton University. Our research centers on the utilization of theory, simulation, and machine learning to characterize, understand, and guide the design of materials for health and sustainability applications.
We are particularly intrigued by polymer-based systems and their use in technologies like batteries, fuel cells, water treatment, tissue engineering, and drug-delivery. Due to inherent challenges in the simulation of macromolecular systems, we employ a range of computational approaches that are systematically linked to bridge the length- and timescales necessary to make chemically informed predictions on the behavior of macromolecular systems.
Our research balances a combination of fundamental mechanistic inquiry, methods development, and targeted design efforts. We are further interested in exploiting and adapting data-driven methodologies/machine learning techniques in these efforts. Check out the Research page to learn more about our work!
News List
Roshan brought another strong poster showing, this time at the annual Princeton CBE Graduate Student Symposium where he received recognition for 'Best Poster Presentation.' The poster showcases Roshan's work related to machine learning of polymer properties, particularly for thermostabilization of enzymes. Well done, Roshan!
This year…
Three first-year graduate students were matched to the Webb group following the thesis project selection process. The cohort includes Quinn Gallagher and Shannon Zhang (both hailing from the University of Pennsylvania) as well as Wesley Oliver (alum of Purdue). This trio is the largest influx of students to-date, increasing the number of…
Postdoc Yaxin An has left the group to begin her independent research career as an assistant professor in Cain Department of Chemical Engineering at Lousiana State University. Yaxin joined Princeton in Summer 2021 and was jointly advised by Will Jacobs in Chemistry. She spearheaded…
Roshan was recognized for his outstanding work related to machine learning of protein-polymer hybrids by taking down a 'Best Poster' award at the Foundations of Molecular Modeling and Simulation (FOMMS) 2022 conference. The award comes with an honorary citation but also a not insignificant cash prize ;-) Congratulations, Roshan!
A major collaborative effort with the Gormley Lab at Rutgers on designing thermostabilized enzymes has culminated with a publication in Advanced Materials. The work combines robotics executing automated synthesis and characterization with active machine learning and…
The Webb group is hosting two young researchers this summer: Keith Paruchuri and Pooja Kedia. Keith comes to us by way of Texas, while Pooja is a New Jersey native. The two talented, rising high-school seniors are helping the group examine problems related to polymer machine learning. Welcome, Keith and Pooja!
Graduating senior, Grace Wei '22, took home not one but two(!) awards on Princeton's Class Day. From the Chemical and Biological Department, Grace received the SABIC Senior Thesis Award, which is awarded annually to a graduating senior for an outstanding thesis in chemical technology. In addition, from the Princeton Institute for the Science…
Mike was honored to receive the Howard B. Wentz, Jr. Junior Faculty Award, which comes with $50,000 to support research in the group. You can read more about the award here and learn about the other…