Gentile Lectureship 2026 - Evening Lecture

Please join the Office of the Dean of Natural and Applied Sciences in welcoming Dr. Thomas Epps to campus as this year’s Gentile Lectureship speaker. Dr. Epps’ presentation is open to the public. Stop by a few minutes early to grab a seat and enjoy some refreshments!

In his presentation, Dr. Epps will focus on the sustainability of plastics, and whether new materials and strategies can reduce their impact. Challenges associated with the use of plastic components and the diversity of materials necessary to satisfy consumer demands will be highlighted along with discussing the opportunities provided by conventional and advanced recycling/upgrading approaches that can be applied to both petroleum-derived and biobased materials/feedstocks. Examples will focus on specific laboratory techniques, computer modeling, and tools to track materials through their lifecycle to improve circularity and sustainability.

Dr. Thomas Epps is the Allan & Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware (UD) with a joint appointment in Materials Science & Engineering. He is Director of the Center for Research in Soft Matter & Polymers (CRiSP), Director of the new NSF MRSEC at UD called CHARM (Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials) and Deputy Director of the new DOE EFRC at UD called CPI (Center for Plastics Innovation). Dr. Epps is also an associate editor for Science Advances, a member of the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Lignolix, Inc. - a start-up focused on valorization of biomass waste.

Dr. Epps has received several honors and awards including: the William W. Grimes Award (AIChE, 2021), Percy L. Julian Award (NOBCChE, 2020); John H. Dillon Medal (APS, 2016); Owens-Corning Early Career Award (AIChE, 2015), among others. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2018, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021, Polymers Division of the American Chemical Society in 2021, the American Chemical Society in 2021, and the National Academy of Inventors in 2022.

The Gentile Interdisciplinary Lectureship at Hope was established in 2005 by faculty colleagues, former students, and friends of Dr.James Gentile. Gentile joined the Hope faculty in 1976 and served as dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences Division from 1988 to 2005, when he became president of Research Corporation, a private foundation in Tucson, Arizona, that supports basic research in the physical sciences. After retiring from Research Corporation, he returned to Hope to serve a two-year appointment as dean from July 2013 through June 2015.

Recent lecturers include: 2025 Dr. Emery Brown, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2024 Dr. Chris Avery, National Climate Assessment 2023 Dr. Francis Su, Harvey Mudd College 2022 Dr. Michael Guillen 2021 Dr. Sherri Mason, Penn State Behrend 2019 Mr. Ira Flatow, Science Friday 2019 Dr. Valerie Taylor, Argonne national laboratory 2018 Dr. Peter Agre, John Hopkins University 2016 Dr. Andrew Christlieb, Michigan State University 2015 Dr. Cherry Murray, Harvard University 2015 Dr. Jay Demas, St. Olaf College 2015 Dr. Laura Listenberger, St. Olaf College, powered by Localist, the Community Event Platform