When polymeric materials enter biological environments, their surfaces immediately interact with proteins, cells, and biomolecular structures. These interfacial interactions ultimately determine how a material performs in medicine, biotechnology, and the natural world. In the Roberts Lab, we study how physicochemical design principles like surface chemistry, nanoscale morphology, and self-assembly can be used to direct biological responses.

Drawing inspiration from renewable biopolymers and natural systems, our group engineers sustainable polymer and polysaccharide-based materials with applications in biointerfaces, vaccine technologies, and therapeutic delivery. By combining fundamental characterization with intentional molecular design, we aim to create next-generation biomaterials that are both high-performing and environmentally responsible.