Bio

B.S. Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 2007​M.S.E. Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2010​Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2012​

"We engineer advanced polymer membranes to control small molecule transport for ion separation, desalination, clean energy, and redox flow battery applications."

Geoffrey M. Geise, Associate Professor

Geoffrey M. Geise is an associate professor at the University of Virginia. After earning a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 2007, he proceeded to earn M.S.E. (2010) and Ph.D. (2012) degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin where he developed experimental techniques for measuring individual ion sorption in polymers and established a fundamental selectivity/permeability tradeoff relationship in desalination membrane materials. At the University of Virginia, his research focuses on studying the fundamentals of chemically- and electrochemically-driven small molecule transport through polymeric materials in order to engineer membranes that will address global water shortages and need for clean energy. Current focus areas include desalination membranes, ion-specific separations, non-aqueous redox flow battery membranes, and microwave dielectric relaxation spectroscopy.

Awards

  • Robert A. Moore, Jr. Award in Chemical Engineering 2021
  • 2020 Class of Influential Researchers (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research) 2020
  • Best ES&T Letters Paper for 2019 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00347) 2020
  • Hartfield Excellence in Teaching Award (Jefferson Scholars Foundation) 2019
  • All-University Teaching Award (University of Virginia) 2019
  • University of Virginia Student Council Teaching Award 2019
  • National Science Foundation CAREER Award 2018
  • Robert A. Moore, Jr. Award in Chemical Engineering 2018
  • Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award 2016
  • Engineering Conferences International New Professor Travel Award 2016
  • North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Young Membrane Scientist Award 2015
  • Excellence in Diversity Fellowship (University of Virginia) 2014

Research Interests

  • Membrane Separations
  • Polymers
  • Redox Flow Battery / Fuel Cell Membranes
  • Desalination Membranes
  • Microwave Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy
  • Materials Characterization

In the News

Selected Publications

  • "Why polyamide reverse-osmosis membranes work so well" Science, 371 (2021) 31-32 ABS G.M. Geise
  • "Experimental Characterization of Polymeric Membranes for Selective Ion Transport" Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, 28 (2020) 36-42 ABS G.M. Geise
  • "Functional Group Configuration Influences Salt Transport in Desalination Membrane Materials" Journal of Membrane Science, 590 (2019) 117295. ABS H. Luo, K. Chang, K. Bahati, G.M. Geise
  • "Engineering Selective Desalination Membranes via Molecular Control of Polymer Functional Groups" Environmental Science & Technology Letters (2019). ABS H. Luo, K. Chang, K. Bahati, G.M. Geise
  • "Water content, relative permittivity, and ion sorption properties of polymers for membrane desalination" Journal of Membrane Science, 574 (2019) 24-32. ABS K. Chang, H. Luo, G.M. Geise
  • "Influence of rubbery versus glassy backbone dynamics on multiscale transport in polymer membranes" Macromolecules, 51 (2018) 9222-9233. ABS K. Chang, A. Korovich, T. Xue, W.A. Morris, L.A. Madsen, G.M. Geise
  • "Specific co-ion sorption and diffusion properties influence membrane permselectivity" Journal of Membrane Science, 563 (2018) 492-504. ABS Y. Ji, H. Luo, G.M. Geise
  • "Increasing salt size selectivity in low water content polymers via polymer backbone dynamics" Journal of Membrane Science, 552 (2018) 43-50. ABS K. Chang, T. Xue, G.M. Geise
  • "The role of experimental factors in membrane permselectivity measurements" Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 56 (2017) 7559-7566. ABS Y. Ji, G.M. Geise
  • "Modeling the water permeability and water/salt selectivity tradeoff in polymer membranes" Journal of Membrane Science, 520 (2016) 790-800. ABS H. Zhang, G.M. Geise
  • "Fundamental water and salt transport properties of polymeric materials" Progress in Polymer Science, 39 (2014) 1-42. ABS G.M. Geise, B.D. Freeman, D.R. Paul
  • "Water permeability and water/salt selectivity tradeoff in polymers for desalination" Journal of Membrane Science, 369 (2011) 130-138. ABS G.M. Geise, H.B. Park, A.C. Sagle, B.D. Freeman, J.E. McGrath
  • "Water purification by membranes: The role of polymer science" Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 48 (2010) 1685-1718. ABS G.M. Geise, H.–S. Lee, D.J. Miller, B.D. Freeman, J.E. McGrath, D.R. Paul

Courses Taught

  • CHE 3316: Chemical Thermodynamics and Staged Unit Operations
  • CHE 4995: Chemical Engineering Research
  • CHE 6625: Transport Processes
  • CHE 6630: Mass Transfer