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Michael Rubinstein

Aleksandar S. Vesic Distinguished Professor
Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708
3377 CIEMAS Building, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708

Research Interests


Polymer theory and computer simulations

Selected Grants


Multi-Scale Investigations of Respiratory Mucus/Mucin Structure and Function in Health and Disease

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2022 - 2027

NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2026

Multi-Scale Investigations of Respiratory Mucus/Mucin Structure and Function in Health and Disease

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2023 - 2025

International Soft Matter Conference (ISMC2024)

ConferenceCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2024 - 2025

Development of Novel Mycolytic Therapies for Lung Disease, Project 1: Mechanism of action of mucolytics in improving mucus clearance in lung disease

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2019 - 2024

Collaborative Research: RAPID: Augmenting Mucosal Gels with Associating Brush Polymers to Prevent COVID19 Infection

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2020 - 2023

Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2022

EFRI CEE : Engineering Technologies to Determine Causal Relationships Between Chromatin Structure and Gene Regulation

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2022

Development of Novel Mycolytic Therapies for Lung Disease, Project 1: Mechanism of action of mucolytics in improving mucus clearance in lung disease

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2018 - 2019

External Relationships


  • Institute for Chemical Reactions Design and Discovery, Hokkaido University
  • Oxford University Press
  • Soft Matter Association of the Americas

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.