BioPACIFIC MIP Awards Eight CAPS Fellowships
Advancing Automated Polymer Research
BioPACIFIC MIP is proud to announce the selection of eight innovative projects for the Catalyzing Automated Polymer Synthesis (CAPS) Fellowships. These fellowships empower researchers to go beyond bench chemistry, leveraging high-throughput automation to rapidly screen materials, optimize reaction mechanisms, and develop scalable synthetic workflows using the advanced Chemspeed robotic platform at BioPACIFIC MIP.
The eight CAPS Fellowship projects leverage automation to accelerate discoveries in polymer science. Researchers will develop sustainable polyolefins with AI-driven design, optimize hydrogel formation, and refine aqueous polymerization for high-performance carbon fibers. Other projects focus on sequence-controlled polymer synthesis, high-throughput screening of polymer-protein interactions, and building bioactive peptidomimetic polymers. Additional efforts explore fluorescent polymer monomers for tunable optical properties and scale-up polymer-enzyme interactions to enhance material performance.
As part of the program, awardees will gain access to the BioPACIFIC MIP platform and receive hands-on training from our expert project scientists. Our project scientists will work closely with fellows to translate their chemistry into automated workflows while enabling high-throughput polymer library generation, precise reaction parameter optimization, and rapid screening of material properties. Automation will also facilitate data-driven material discovery, accelerating the development of next-generation polymers with tailored functionality for applications ranging from biomedicine to advanced manufacturing.
Each fellowship provides up to $10,000 in funding to support research stays at UC Santa Barbara and UCLA, covering travel, specialized materials, and access to cutting-edge instrumentation. This transformative program was made possible through the generous support of the Hawker Family Fund and Chemspeed Technologies, whose commitment to research excellence and innovation drives its success.
Over the coming weeks, we will spotlight each of the eight funded projects on our social media channels, highlighting the researchers and their work at the frontiers of polymer science and engineering.
We encourage researchers interested in automation and high-throughput materials discovery to stay connected with BioPACIFIC MIP for future opportunities. If you’re working on innovative polymer research, consider how automation can accelerate your work—our facilities and expertise are here to support groundbreaking advancements!
