BS  Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, France, 1982
MS  University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1983
PhD  University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1988
Postdoctoral Associate, Michigan Molecular Institute,  1987-1989

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, 1989-1994
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1994-2000
Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2000-2001
Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2001-present
Professor of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, 2001-present
Associate Chair, Department of Chemistry, 2010-present

Honors and Awards:
NSF Young Investigator Award, 1993
XCaliber Certificate of Excellence, 2004
Jimmy Viers Faculty Teaching Award, 2007
Clifford Faculty Service Award, 2012

Semicrystalline polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(ethylene terephthalate) and nylon-6,6, to name a few, have become an integral part of our environment during the last half a century. Yet, we are still far from having a complete molecular level understanding of their crystallization mechanism and intrinsic structure-property correlations. Using a combination of differential scanning calorimetry, dilatometry, optical, electron and atomic force microscopies, light and X-ray scattering, infrared spectroscopy and rheological measurements, we probe their crystallization and melting behavior as well as their morphology and physical properties. Examples of current research projects are given below:

• Experimental and theoretical studies of the molar mass and temperature dependences of crystal growth for flexible chain polymers.
• Investigations of the crystallization, morphology and physical properties of ethylene/styrene and ethylene/styrene/propylene statistical copolymers.
• Crystallization and morphological studies in propylene based copolymers and blends.
• Studies of the correlations between secondary crystallization and physical aging above Tg.
• Competition between crystallization and phase separation in binary polymer mixtures.
• Crystallization of polymers in confined space.

1. Dendritic Crystallization in Thin Films of PEO/PMMA Blends: A Comparison to Crystallization in Small Molecule Liquids” Okerberg, B., Marand, H., Douglas, JF  Polymer, 49 579-587 (2008)
2. “Dendritic Growth of Poly(e-caprolactone) Crystals from Compatible Blends with Poly(t-butyl acrilate) at the Air/Water Interface.” Li, B; Marand, H.; Esker, A. Journal of Polymer Science, Polymer Physics Edition, submitted (2007).
3. “Crystal Morphologies in Thin Films of PEO/PMMA Blends”. B. Okerberg, H. Marand,  J. Mat. Sci. 42 (12), 4521-4529 (2007).
4. “Crystallization Processes in Ethylene-Styrene Copolymers by Conventional and Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry: 1. Linear Polyethylene and Low Styrene Content Copolymers”. Z. Huang, H. Marand, W. Cheung, M. Guest Macromolecules, 37(26), 9922-9932 (2004).
5. “Isothermal Lamellar Thickening in Linear Polyethylene: Correlation between the Evolution of the Degree of Crystallinity and the Melting Temperature” H. Marand, Z. Huang, Macromolecules 37(17), 6492-6497 (2004)