April 1, 2026 | By Nancy Joseph, UW College of Arts & Sciences
Plastics are everywhere. From water bottles to storage bags to car tires, they are a part of our everyday lives. And because they are so inexpensive to make, manufacturers have little incentive to recycle them into new materials.
Matthew Golder hopes to change that.
Golder, assistant professor in the UW Department of Chemistry and CEI Member Faculty, is a polymer scientist who explores ways to alter the chemical structure of plastics to keep them out of landfills. His lab has two main areas of focus: repurposing discarded commodity plastics (such as plastic cups, packaging, and tires) into new materials; and — when that’s not feasible — strengthening plastic materials to extend their usable life. This February, he was named a 2026 Sloan Fellow in Chemistry.
“There are tremendous societal benefits to plastic, but thinking about what happens to those plastics once they get to the end of their life is a huge problem,” says Golder. “Because plastics are very cheap to make, they are very easy to dispose of. My group thinks about how to make those really cheap plastics last longer.”
Read more about Golder and his research at A second life for plastics – Clean Energy Institute