Austin M. Evans is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida, where he leads research on synthetic polymer chemistry, focusing on crystalline, porous macromolecules that enable advanced thermal, electronic, and ionic transport. His work integrates covalent and non-covalent approaches to control soft matter for environmental, energy storage, and electronic applications, including two-dimensional polymers. Evans holds a B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Tulsa (2016) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University (2020), where he was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. He completed postdoctoral training as a Schmidt Science Fellow at Columbia University (2021–2022). His achievements include the 2021 ACS Henkel Award for Graduate Research in Polymer Science, the 2021 Schmidt Science Fellowship, and the 2023 Polymer Science Emerging Investigator Award. Evans has strong ties to the American Chemical Society (ACS), receiving the 2021 CME-sponsored ACS Global Outstanding Student Award in Polymer Science and Engineering. He serves as a Board Member of the ACS Chemical Marketing and Economics (CME) Group since 2021.

2026 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

2024 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

Polyolefins are among the most important macromolecular species. It is challenging to controllably synthesize polyolefins with narrow molecular weight distributions or copolymerize them with polar monomers. I will discuss a strategy to produce polyolefin-copolymers with precise molecular weights and polar functionality. The ability to produce these materials relies on electrochemically modifying redox-active acrylates through a high-yielding reductive decarboxylation. Throughout this discussion, I will highlight how this strategy can be used to access materials with desirable properties.