ABOUT
Dr. Meisha L. Shofner is a Professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, joining the faculty following post-doctoral training at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. in Materials Science from Rice University. Prior to beginning graduate school, she was employed as a design engineer at FMC in the Subsea Engineering Division, working at two plant locations (Houston, Texas and the Republic of Singapore), and she is a registered Professional Engineer in Georgia.
Dr. Shofner's group investigates processing-structure-property relationships in polymers and composites. She and her group focus on scalable processing approaches relevant to emerging materials such as mechanical metamaterials, natural polymers, and nanocomposites.
Teaching Interests
Professor Shofner's teaching focuses on core materials science and engineering topics, including polymer materials, nanocomposites, and processing-structure-property relationships. Her instruction is aimed at both undergraduate and graduate students, emphasizing the fundamental understanding of polymer behavior and materials design.
PUBLICATIONS & PATENTS
- EA Ryan, NE Raia, JR Reynolds, ML Shofner, Origins of Electromechanical Behavior in Surface-Localized Nanocomposites: Insights into Crack Network Dynamics and Particle Network Rearrangements, ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 7 (14), 9211-9223, 2025
- KSK Zaw, C Ma, ML Shofner, S Nair, Quantitative Microstructure-Permeation Relations in Graphene Oxide Membranes: Effects of Nanosheet Size on Molecular Weight Cut-Off and Fractionation of Complex Biomass Feedstocks, Journal of Membrane Science, 734, 124421, 2025
- I Pelse, ZD Seibers, JR Reynolds, ML Shofner, Assessing the Integrity of N95 Mask Elastomer Straps With Decontamination and Reuse, Journal of Applied Polymer Science 142 (13), e56647, 2025
- F Rubaiya, ML Shofner, LM Garten, Out-of-Plane Auxetic Behavior in Cellulose Nanofibril Films, ACS Omega, 10 (13), 13339–13349, 2025
- MA Blackman, ML Shofner, CA Chatham, Investigating fast scanning calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry as screening tools for thermoset polymer material compatibility with laser-based powder bed fusion, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 7 (2), 719-728, 2025
- E.A. Ryan, Z.D. Seibers, J.R. Reynolds, and M.L. Shofner, Surface-localized chemically modified reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites as flexible conductive surfaces for space applications,” ACS Applied Polymer Materials. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.3c00588
- P. Verma, C.L. Smith, A.C. Griffin, and M.L. Shofner, “Towards textile metamaterials: A pathway to auxeticity and tensegrity in a needle-punched nonwoven stiff felt”, Materials Advances, 3 (15), 6324-6334 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1039/D2MA00405D
- Z. Wang, C. Ma, S.A. Sinquefield, M.L. Shofner, and S. Nair, “Graphene oxide nanofiltration membranes for desalination at realistic conditions”, Nature Sustainability, 4, 402-408 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00674-3
- C.W. Irvin, C.C. Satam, J. Liao, P.S. Russo, V. Breedveld, J.C. Meredith, and M.L. Shofner, “Synergistic reinforcement of composite hydrogels with nanofiber mixtures of cellulose nanocrystals and chitin nanofibers”, Biomacromolecules, 22 (2), 340-352 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01198
- M.P. Orr, A. Sonekan, and M.L. Shofner, “Effect of processing method on cellulose nanocrystal/polyethylene-co-vinyl alcohol composites”, Polymer Engineering and Science, 60 (12), 2979-2990 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.25527
- E.R. Fitzharris, D.W. Rosen, and M.L. Shofner, “Fast scanning calorimetry for semicrystalline polymers in fused deposition modeling”, Polymer, 166, 196-205 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2019.01.083
EDUCATION & AWARDS
- Ph.D., 2004, Materials Science, Rice University
- B.S., 1997, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
- Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
- MSE Faculty – Research Award
- Women in Engineering Teaching Excellence Award
- Emerging Leaders Program
- Hesburgh Award Teaching Fellows Program
- Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award
- Solvay Advanced Polymers Young Faculty Award
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Professor Shofner's research interests are framed by processing-structure-property relationships in polymers and composites. In particular, she and her group focus on discovering scalable processing approaches relevant to emerging materials such as mechanical metamaterials, natural polymers, and nanocomposites.