James M. Eagan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Polymer Science at The University of Akron. He was born and raised in Austin, TX, graduated from Emory University in 2009 with a B.S. in Chemistry summa cum laude, and received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University in 2014.

His thesis work, under the direction of Professor Scott A. Snyder, investigated the Diels-Alder cycloaddition as a general strategy for the total synthesis of oligomeric sesquiterpenes natural products.

Following his doctoral studies, under the guidance of Professor Geoffrey W. Coates at Cornell University, he studied the synthesis and properties of polyolefin block copolymers. This research focused on combining the two most abundant plastics, polyethylene and polypropylene, into mechanically robust blends through the use of novel multiblock copolymers.

He worked for Aramco Performance Materials as a lab scientist between 2017 and 2019, before joining the University of Akron. He is a cofounder of Exsponge Inc., director of chemistry for Ascribe Bioscience, and recipient of the 2017 Newcomb Cleveland Prize.

Academic Advisors:

• Undergraduate: Albert Padwa
• Graduate: Scott A. Snyder
• Post-Doctoral: Geoffrey W. Coates