Dr. Marciel is an Assistant Professor and William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair of Chemical and
Biomolecular Engineering (CHBE) with a joint appointment in Chemistry and Applied Physics.
She joined the Rice faculty in 2019. Dr. Marciel earned her doctorate from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Prof. Charles Schroeder and her undergraduate degree from
the University of California at Berkeley. Her postdoctoral research was completed at The
University of Chicago under the guidance of Prof. Matthew Tirrell. Dr. Marciel has been
awarded the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the ACS PRF Doctoral New
Investigator grant. Dr. Marciel has published 30+ articles on soft matter physics and has
supervised 5 graduate students.

Research Areas
Dr. Marciel’s research group explores the influence of monomer chemistry and sequence on the
behavior of charged polymers in solutions and at interfaces to design stimuli-responsive
materials for applications ranging from separations to regenerative tissue engineering. Her
interdisciplinary training includes precision polymer synthesis to investigate the elasticity and
dynamics of single polymer chains using advanced spectroscopy and fluorescent microscopy
methods, as well as light scattering to study polymer chain conformation in polyelectrolyte
solutions. She has three main research areas: (i) pH responsive behavior of polyelectrolyte
brushes (PEBs), (ii) polyampholyte chain conformation and phase behavior, and (iii) charged
polymers at fluid-fluid interfaces. Dr. Marciel’s group uses precision polymer synthesis, light
scattering, rheology, and advanced optical imaging techniques to advance our understanding of
the static and dynamic behavior of soft matter systems.