I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Theory RIG, working in the groups of Prof. Rosana Collepardo-Guevara and Dr. Aleks Reinhardt. In my research, I use molecular simulation techniques to investigate the mechanisms by which the protein TDP-43 forms into aggregates, a process that is implicated in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. 

Before coming to Cambridge, I earned my Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2025, working in the group of Prof. Kevin Dorfman. My graduate research was in computational polymer physics, aiming to improve our understanding of block polymer self-assembly under confinement using polymer self-consistent field theory. Self-assembled block polymers form highly ordered nanomaterials with applications in lithography, membrane filtration, optics, and more. My work also involved extensive software development on PSCF, an open-source tool for polymer field theory.

Background

• Postdoctoral Research Associate: Oct 2025 – Present, University of Cambridge, Department of Chemistry
• PhD: Sept 2020 – Sept 2025, University of Minnesota, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
• Bachelor's: Sept 2016 – June 2020, University of Washington, Department of Chemical Engineering

Selected Honors & Awards:

• 2024 Amelar–Lodge Fellowship for Outstanding Collaborative Research in Materials
• 2024 AIChE Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research – Finalist
• 2020 magna cum laude Honors, University of Washington College of Engineering
• 2019 Undergraduate Fellowship, Washington Research Foundation
• 2018 Mary Gates Research Scholarship, University of Washington

Publications

Research Primer:

Magruder & Dorfman (2024). Theory of Block Polymer Self-Assembly, American Chemical Society. (Link)

PhD Thesis:

Magruder (2025). The Double-Gyroid Phase in Diblock Polymer Thin Films, University of Minnesota. (Link)

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles:

1. Watrin, Magruder, Nehete, Bates, & Dorfman (2026). "Critical Micelle Concentration of Multiblock Copolymers in Immiscible Homopolymer Blends," ACS Macro Letters, 15, 429-433.
2. Kim, White, Magruder, Danielson, Bates, & Lodge (2025). “Concentration-Driven Slowdown of Chain-Exchange Kinetics in Block Copolymer Micelle Solutions,” Macromolecules, 58, 10580-10590.
3. Magruder & Dorfman (2025). “Dynamic Masks and External Fields in Periodic Self-Consistent Field Theory: A Case Study on Double-Gyroid Thin Films,” Macromolecules, 58, 8555-8567.
4. McGuinness, Magruder, Dorfman, Ellison, & Ferry (2024). “Circular Dichroism of Distorted Double Gyroid Thin Film Metamaterials,” Phys. Rev. Mat., 8, 115201.  
5. Magruder, Ellison, & Dorfman (2024). “Equilibrium Phase Behavior of Gyroid-Forming Diblock Polymer Thin Films,” J. Chem. Phys., 161, 084902. 
6. Magruder, Morse, Ellison, & Dorfman (2024). “Boundary Frustration in Double-Gyroid Thin Films,” ACS Macro Letters, 13, 382-388.
7. Yang, Oh, Magruder, Kim, Dorfman, Mahanthappa, & Ellison (2023). “Surface relief terraces in double-gyroid-forming polystyrene-block-polylactide thin films,” Phys. Rev. Mat., 7, 125601.
8. Magruder, Park, Collanton, Bates, & Dorfman (2022). “Laves Phase Field in a Diblock Copolymer Alloy,” Macromolecules, 55, 2991-2998.
9. Magruder & Dorfman (2021). “The C36 Laves phase in diblock polymer melts,” Soft Matter, 17, 8950-8959.
10. Meng, Magruder, & Hillhouse (2021). “On interface recombination, series resistance, and absorber diffusion length in BiI3 solar cells,” J. Appl. Phys., 129, 133101.