- Ph.D. in Chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- B.S. in Chemistry from Rice University
Julian Cooper joined the Department of Chemistry this past summer as an assistant professor to research and unlock new modes of chemical reactivity in materials.
The plan for the Cooper Group is to combine the tools of chemistry, materials science, and mechanics to develop new ways to make materials and alter the capabilities of existing materials. “At the fundamental level, we will advance new ways to think about chemical reactivity,” Julian explains. “More broadly, this research will help address a variety of existing challenges in materials, including challenges in sustainability, energy storage, and materials performance.” For now he says they’re working on many different possibilities, “Right now, we’re kind of spreading in different directions, hoping that something sticks.” He says he is specifically interested in optimizing both the performance and recyclability of polymer materials, two qualities that generally run counter to each other. He says, “The stronger the material, the harder it is to recycle.” Julian is investigating approaches to use chemistry and mechanical characterization techniques to bridge the difference.
Julian’s interest in science began at an early age through a childhood that was anything but ordinary. “I grew up all over the world,” he explains. His dad, a geologist, worked for an oil and gas company and his family moved around a lot. He began school in Milan, Italy as a student in an Italian public school. “Initially it was hard,” he says as he explains the two stints in Italy, one from when he was 10 months old until four years old and one from when he was six until age 10. “I was lucky to have a teacher in first grade who studied in the US and had some proficiency in English to help me out but my mom and dad didn’t speak Italian.”
His early exposure to science was a periodic table placemat. While he was always curious about nature, his dad would talk often about rocks during childhood road trips. “I got tired of rocks,” he says. “I’ll be honest.” And while he knew he didn’t want to be a geologist, he thought it was “super cool to know how things worked.” He said he studied the periodic table on the placemat at the family table every morning from the time he was 10. By middle school, he understood how elements were organized.
Julian earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Rice University in 2014 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2019. Most recently, he has been conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked for Prof. Jeffrey Moore in a highly interdisciplinary lab applying chemistry in new ways to tackle pressing real-world challenges.
Now at UW–Madison, Julian is putting his understanding and training to work, getting his lab set up and enjoying being a first-time homeowner. “Between unpacking boxes in the lab and unpacking boxes at home, if I never see another box again for the rest of the year, I’ll be okay,” he laughs. “But things are getting off the ground,” Julian explains. “We’re not running on full cylinders yet, but we have run some experiments and have tested hypotheses.”
With the rotation of graduate students this fall, Julian had a first-year student in his lab for a few weeks. He says he’s excited to get his first cohort of students in the lab and get started. For now, he’s working with an undergraduate student who he says “has been phenomenal.”
Beyond research, Julian is a big fan of playing golf. As he settles into to exploring his new city, he’s already hit the links at many of the courses around town.