The Root Lab investigates functional macromolecular composites for applications in electronics, robotics, and healthcare technologies.
News
Spring 2026
Sam Root has been named a 2026 Beckman Young Investigator by the Arnold & Mabel Beckman Foundation. This award will support The Root Lab’s research into self-healing polymers and multilayers, using dynamic speckle imaging to quantify the micromechanics of damage and repair.
Winter 2026
We are excited to be part of an exciting collaborative project led by Prof. Kati Daltorio’s Biologically Inspired Robotics Lab and funded by the Office of Naval Research to develop a new generation of crab-inspired robots capable of multimodal locomotion across multiple domains including gliding, swimming, and walking along the ocean floor. The Root Lab’s role is to develop a set of bio-inspired materials with graded stiffness to improve robotic functionality and durability.
Fall 2025
October 28th: The Root Lab has been awarded our first grant! We are grateful to the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society for a Doctoral New Investigator Award to support our fundamental research into “Thermal Transport and Dielectric Stability in Macromolecular Composites of Liquid Metal Microdroplets.”
Summer 2025
August 22nd: Sam Root won the 2025 Young Alumni Award from the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester!
August 15th: Our work was featured on the cover of Device by Cell Press!
Spring 2025
May 19th: Our paper describing the invention of a self-healing, damage-perceptive electronic skin was published in Device by Cell Press. By leveraging autonomous alignment in immiscible self-healing composites and a multilayer circuit design, we demonstrate three-dimensional damage sensing with millimeter resolution.
May 4th: Sam Root was awarded the Glennan Fellowship from CWRU ($7k) to support the development of a new elective course, “Polymer Composites for Electronics” aimed at preparing polymer engineers for high tech manufacturing industries through experiential education including laboratory design and testing of composite materials and devices.
May 2nd: Congratulations to Trevor Swan, who has been selected as a SOURCE STEM 2025 Summer Research Scholar through the Undergraduate Research Office at CWRU!
We are elated to welcome our inaugural graduate students, Roberto Obregon and Riley Donahue. Welcome to the team!
Roberto Obregon (starting May 2025)
Riley Donahue (starting September 2025)
Winter 2025
I have officially moved from California to Cleveland! I am in the process of setting up the laboratory. Thanks to the School of Engineering and the Case Alumnus Association, for their articles announcing my new position here in the Department of Macromolecular Science & Engineering!
New Faculty Spotlight: Case School of Engineering
Case Alumnus Association: Welcome Aboard!
Fall 2024
I spent 6 months on ‘sabbatical,’ working as a scientific consultant for Thintronics Inc., a Bay Area startup company developing high performance insulator technology for applications in AI data centers, networking, RF, and other electronic devices. I had an amazing experience working with the Thintronics Team and I am looking forward to future collaboration.