Dr. Marissa Tousley joined the faculty at Rose-Hulman in 2016. She has a background in membrane separation processes and soft matter, with expertise in the development of membrane materials with well-controlled nanostructures and surface properties to enable more energy efficient desalination. Her research group currently focuses on polymer thin film structure-property relationships, low-cost membrane modules, industrial decarbonization, and the development of hands-on educational tools. Dr. Tousley is an advisor for Rose-Hulman's Materials Science and Engineering minor and has previous professional experience as an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy and in research and development activities at SCHOTT and NASA Glenn Research Center.
Academic Degrees
- PhD, Yale University, 2016
- MS, Yale University, 2013
- BS, Alfred University, 2011
Awards & Honors
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship (STPF), 2023-2024.
- North American Membrane Society Education Innovation Fellowship, 2020-2022.
Publications & Presentations
- 3D-Printed Modular Membrane Frames for Student Projects & Class Demonstrations D Anastasio, M Tousley, H Chenette - 2023 AIChE Annual Meeting, 2023.
- Virtual Research Group Modules: Scalable Simulations of STEM Research ME Tousley, AM Dyer, MJ Grzenda, DA Kovacevich, Journal of Chemical Education, 2022.
- Liquid Crystal Demonstration of Binary Phase Behavior for the Classroom ME Tousley, Journal of Chemical Education, 2018.
- Effect of final monomer deposition steps on molecular layer-by-layer polyamide surface properties ME Tousley, DL Shaffer, JH Lee, CO Osuji, Langmuir, 2016.
- Aligned nanostructured polymers by magnetic-field-directed self-assembly of a polymerizable lyotropic mesophase ME Tousley, X Feng, M Elimelech, CO Osuji, ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2014.
Research Interests
- Polymer thin films
- Membrane separation processes
- Development of hands-on educational tools and demonstrations
- Educational assessment
Teaching Interests
- Materials science/nanomaterials
- Membrane separation processes
- Energy, environment, and sustainability