Dr Nicholas Van Zee

Nicholas Van Zee is a Postdoctoral Researcher working under the joint supervision of Prof. Michael Shaver and Dr. Niamh Fox, focusing on developing new mechanochemical tools to address challenges in the mechanical recycling of plastics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2022, where he collaborated with Prof. Timothy Lodge and Marc Hillmyer to establish structure-property relationships for amphiphilic polymers, primarily targeting applications in drug delivery and therapeutics. He then continued his research with Prof. Stephen Craig at Duke University, investigating mixed mechanophore crosslinked systems in collaboration with the NSF Centre for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks (MONET). After completing his postdoctoral work, Nicholas worked as a senior scientist at Hoya Vision Care, leading the development of polyurethane adhesives for photochromic optical devices. During his time in industry, he came to understand the technological and economic barriers limiting circularity in polymer manufacturing, which motivated him to re-engage in academic research. This decision led him to the Sustainable Materials Hub at the University of Manchester, where he now works at the academia-industry interface to develop broadly applicable technologies that improve the quality of recycled plastics.