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Education

• PhD Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama (2021)
• MS��Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, (2018)
• BS��Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Alabama, (2017)
• BA��Dance, Mathematics Minor, The University of Alabama, (2017)

Selected Awards

• Engineering Council of Birmingham and UA Capstone Engineering Society Young Engineer of the Year (2024)
• National Alumni Association 18 under 31 Award (2024)
• National Academy of Inventors Inductee (2023)
• Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award, UA Graduate School (2022)
• UA College of Engineering Overall Graduate Student of the Year (2022)
• AIChE “Excellence in Graduate Student Research” Speaker (2021)
• 2021 DSM Bright Science Award Finalist, American Chemical Society (2021)
• ACS POLY “Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research” Symposium, Awardee and Presenter (2020)
• 1st Place Springer Award for Oral Presentation (ILMAT-5, France, 2019)
• DoEd GAANN Fellowship (2018-2020)
• Graduate Council Fellowship (2017-2018, 2020-2021)

Selected Publications

Spirobisindane-Containing Imidazolium Polyimide Ionene: Structural Design and Gas Separation Performance of “Ionic PIMs” I Kammakakam, KE O’Harra, JE Bara, EM Jackson, Macromolecules 55 (11), 4790-4802 (2022)

Valorization of Plastic Wastes for the Synthesis of Imidazolium‐Based Self‐Supported Elastomeric Ionenes J Demarteau, KE O'Harra, JE Bara, H Sardon,��ChemSusChem 13 (12), 3122-3126 (2022)

Design, develop, launch: the making of an innovative Honors Minor program focused on “Engineering Positive and Intentional Change KE O'Harra, ASEE Peer Conference Paper, ESCJ Division (2022)

Toward controlled functional sequencing and hierarchical structuring in imidazolium ionenes (Mini-Review) KE O'Harra, JE Bara, Polymer International 70 (7), 944-950 (2021)

Designing Ionic Liquid-Derived Polymer Composites from Poly (Ionic Liquid)–Ionene Semi-interpenetrating Networks KE O’Harra, GM Timmermann, JE Bara, KM Miller, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 3 (4), 1995-2004 (2021)

Nearly perfect 3D structures obtained by assembly of printed parts of polyamide ionene self-healing elastomer KE O’Harra, N Sadaba, M Irigoyen, F Ruipérez, R Aguirresarobe, H Sardon, ACS Applied Polymer Materials 2 (11), 4352-4359 (2020)

Recent advances in the design of ionenes: toward convergence with high‐performance polymers (Review), JE Bara, KE O'Harra, Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 220 (13), 1900078 (2019)

Synthesis and performance of 6FDA-based polyimide-ionenes and composites with ionic liquids as gas separation membranes KE O’Harra, I Kammakakam, EM DeVriese, DM Noll, JE Bara, EM Jackson, Membranes 9 (7), 79 (2019)

Research and Teaching Interests

Polymers – Separations - Membranes - 3D Printing – Food Science and Technology - Engineering Education – Sustainability – Study Abroad

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