The Boydston Research Group is a diverse and highly collaborative team that engages in interdisciplinary research to develop functional materials at multiple length scales. We specialize in synthetic polymer chemistry, photoredox catalysis, polymer mechanochemistry, and additive manufacturing (3D printing). Some of our main goals include discovery and development of new polymerization methods, design and evaluation of mechanophores that can trigger the release of small molecules, and establishing complete chemical control over every voxel within 3D printed multimaterial systems. Collectively, we think about chemical processes and structure-function relationships from molecular-scale up through systems integration.
Research Overview
Metal Free Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (MF-ROMP)
Photoredox ROMP provides one of the few metal-free routes to access the high-value polymers synthesized via metathesis polymerizations. We use physical-organic principles to understand, optimize, and expand the functionality of photoredox ROMP.
Additive Manufacturing (AM)
The additive manufacturing subgroup leverages chemical synthesis, engineering, modeling, and materials design to create new capabilities in 3D printing.
Functional and Responsive Materials (FARM)
Functional and responsive materials are polymer systems that produce desirable chemical outcomes in response to compatible stimuli. We design polymers targeting practical applications such as catalysis, force-sensing, and reprocessable materials.
Join the Boydston Group!
The Boydston Group will have open group meetings for interested first-year students on Thursdays from 5-7pm in 1324, starting 8/28/25.
Upcoming Social Events (we will leave together after group meeting or meet us there!)
9/4 at 7pm: Teamoji
9/18 at 7pm: Memorial Union Terrace with Cooper Group
10/9 at 6pm: Bandit Tacos with Cooper Group
If you would like to attend GM and/or any recruitment events, feel free to email Brittany (btrinh2@wisc.edu) with any questions or RSVPs. Some weeks involve literature group meetings, so please reach out ahead of time so we can send you the paper, if needed.
We hope to see you there!
Recent News
Join the Boydston Group (Fall 2025 Recruitment Events)
The Boydston Group will have open group meetings for interested first-year students on Thursdays from 5-7pm in 1324, starting 8/28/25. Upcoming Social Events (we will leave together after group meeting or meet us there!) 9/4 at …
August 22, 2025Congrats to Dr. Tetzloff for the publication of her paper, “Combining Metal-Free and Metal-Mediated Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization for Efficient Synthesis of Bottlebrush Polymers”
Congrats to Dr. Tetzloff on her publication, “Combining Metal-Free and Metal-Mediated Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization for Efficient Synthesis of Bottlebrush Polymers,” which has been accepted to ACS Macro Letters!
June 30, 2025Congrats to Dr. Olivia Bae on earning her PhD!
Congrats to Dr. Olivia Bae on defending her dissertation, “Functional Polymers Across the Lifecycle: Mechanophore Reactivity, Additive-Based 3D Printing, and Enzymatic Degradation!” We will miss you in the lab and wish you best of luck …
June 25, 2025The Boydston Group reunites at Polymers GRC at Mount Holyoke!
The Boydston Group reunited at the 2025 Polymers GRC reunion at Mount Holyoke College (left to right: Katie Weber G5, Sarah Finnegan G4, Johanna Schwartz PhD ’19, Johanna Vandenbrande B.S. ’18 at University of Washington, …
June 15, 2025Congrats to Dr. Tetzloff on earning her PhD!
Congrats to Dr. Meg Tetzloff on defending her PhD dissertation, “Expanding the applications of Metal-Free Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization through Functional Chain-Transfer Agents, Initiators, and Monomers”! We will miss having your puns and whimsy in the …
May 21, 2025- Read More News
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