Dr. Greg Curtzwiler is an Assistant Professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at Iowa State University and is affiliated with the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium. His research is focused on sustainable materials for packaging and coatings in the food industry including bio-based, biodegradable, and recycled polymers.
Dr. Curtzwiler received a B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. in Polymers and Coatings Science from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA. He received a Doctorate in Polymer Science and Engineering from The University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials. Greg has 17 publications and seven patents to his credit.
His research has focused on carbon nanotube-based nanocomposites and sustainable practices of polymers for food packaging applications. He is currently working on understanding the structure-property relationships between polymer structure, water hydrogen bonding, and hydroplasticization. He is currently developing in-process methods for monitoring contamination of food packaging comprised of post-consumer recycled polymers and the empirical quantification of post-consumer polymer content in converted consumer products.