Minko named Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry

Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences and faculty member of the department of chemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Established in 1841, the RSC has over 54,000 members and is dedicated to the general advancement of chemical science. Nominees for RSC fellowship must have more than five years in a senior position and whose efforts have made an impact in the field of chemical sciences.

Minko’s research concentrates on polymer materials, biomaterials, nanostructured materials and sustainable technologies of fiber and fabrics.

“I’m honored to receive this recognition, and I am grateful to the University of Georgia for the support to enable my contributions to the educational and research activity of my home departments in the areas of materials chemistry and engineering,” Minko said. “I am excited to be a part of the polymers, fibers and textiles graduate program, which is a strong and rapidly growing interdisciplinary materials science program for attracting young talent to explore multiple opportunities from sustainable materials, green chemistry, biomedical materials, bioengineering to nanofibers to personal protective materials and design of environmentally friendly textile technologies”

Minko has published over 240 articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, 20 book chapters and has filed 24 patents and patent applications. Since 2004, Minko’s articles have been cited more than 23,000 times with an h-index of 73, according to Google Scholar.

Prior to joining UGA, he served as the Egon Matijevic Chair and professor in the department of chemistry and biomolecular science at Clarkson University in New York from 2003-13.

Minko previously held a senior research position at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research in Dresden, Germany. He also was a visiting faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Max Plank Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany.

At UGA, Minko directs the NanoStructured Materials Lab, which focuses on the study and fabrication of synthetic smart materials and biomaterials.

He earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine and a doctorate in macromolecular chemistry from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education in Ukraine.

He was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Research Scholarship to conduct his research at the University of Ulm, Germany in 1997-98.

 “Sergiy is an unselfish individual dedicated to this profession,” said Gajanan Bhat, the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Fibers and Textiles and head of the FACS department of textiles, merchandising and interiors. “I have seen many of his current and former students, as well as collaborators, and there is nothing but praise about his dedication, hard work, and most importantly, passion for pure science. As he continues to be a highly productive chemist and scientist, as well as a great educator, this fellowship is a well-deserved acknowledgement of his accomplishments, and the TMI department is proud to have him as a senior faculty member.”