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

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)