Coastal Studies Institute- Kent Wiles

Kenton B. Wiles, Ph.D.
SPIRE Postdoctoral Teaching & Research Fellow
Department of Biology and Marine Sciences
Univeristy of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Office:
425 Health Center Drive
Nags, Head, NC 27959

Phone: 252-480-8582 ext. 230
Fax: 252-480-0719
Email: kwiles@email.unc.edu

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Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SPIRE Posdoctoral Research Fellowship in Marine Sciences and Biology
April 2006-Present
Concentration: Estuary Ecology and Human Health
Proposal Focus: Employ ISCO instrumentation to compare natural versus constructed wetlands at the land-water interface in coastal North Carolina. Measure nutrient chemistry and biological pathogens during storm water runoff and determine the best management practices for wetland construction and mitigation strategies.
Principal Investigator: Michael F. Piehler

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SPIRE Postdoctral Research Fellowship in Chemistry and Biology
Sept. 2005- April 2006
Concentration: Nanoparticle Fabrication for Drug Delivery, Molecular imaging and Materials Science
Proposal Focus: Biodegradable nanoparticle fabrication for controlled drug release applications employing anti-cancer pharmaceuticals and specific receptor targeting proteins. Self assembled monolayer polymeric array production for optoelectronics, magnetic storage and electrical engineering applications. Nanoporous thin film development for nanoparticle separations and filtrations employing various polymeric materials including crosslinked triacrylate resins, perfluoropoly ether diacrylate and polyethylene glycol acrylate.
Principal Investigator: Joseph M. DeSimone

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Ph.D. Macromolecular Science and Engineering, 2005

Virginia Polytechnic institute & State University
M.S. Chemistry, 2002

Indiana University
B.A. Chemistry, 1998

Research interests

Current research interests include estuarine ecology and human health corresponding to nutrient and pathogen loading in both oceans and estuary waters. Further geochemical engineering emphasis is performed using state-of-the-art analyses of water born sediments, nutrients and pathogens in the land-water interfaces of coastal North Carolina to allow mitigation strategies of the stormwater outfalls. Previous interdisciplinary postdoctoral research included nanotechnology based targeted drug delivery employing anti-cancer pharmaceuticals. Ph.D. dissertation included synthesis, characterization and engineering of various poly(arylene sulfone) copolymers as candidates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and biocompatible actuator-sensor applications for artificial muscles. Masters thesis concentrated on melt processable carbon fiber precursors utilizing acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate copolymers synthesized via free radical copolymerizations.

Peer Reviewed Publications and Future Manuscripts

K.B. Wiles, V.A. Bhanu, A.J. Pasquale, T.E. Long and J.E. McGrath, ‘Monomer Reactivity Ratios for Acrylonitrile-Methyl Acrylate Free-Radical Copolymerizations,’ J. Poly. Sci.: Part A: Polymer Chemistry, 42(12), 2994-3001, 2004.

V.A. Bhanu, K.B. Wiles, P. Rangarajan, T.E. Glass, D.G. Baird, G.L. Wilkes and J.E. McGrath, ‘Melt Processable Carbon Fiber Precursors Based on Acrylonitrile Copolymers,’ Polymer, 2002, 43, 4841.

K.B. Wiles, M. A. Hickner and J.E. McGrath, ‘Directly Copolymerized Poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) Disulfonated Copolymers for PEM-Based Fuel Cell Systems II: Effect of Molecular Weight on Transport and Mechanical Properties,’ J. Poly. Sci.: Part A: Polymer Chemistry, In Progress, 2005.

K. B. Wiles, N. S. Wiles, K. P. Herlihy, B. W. Maynor, J. P. Rolland and J. M. DeSimone, ‘Soft Lithography Using Perfluorinated Polyether Molds and PRINT Technology for Fabrication of 3-D Arrays on Glass Substrates,’ Proceedings of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), Paper 6151-119, San Jose, CA 2006.

B.J. Akle, K. B. Wiles, D.J. Leo and J.E. McGrath, ‘Effects of Electrode Morphology on the Performance of BPSH and PATS Ionic Transducers,’ Proceedings of the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE), Paper 385-73, San Diego, CA, 2004.

B.J. Akle, K. B. Wiles, M. Bennett, J.E. McGrath and D.J. Leo, ‘Direct Assembly Process: A Novel Fabrication Technique for Large Strain Ionic Polymer Transducers,’ Journal of Materials Research, Submitted, JMR-2005-0829, 2005.

K.B. Wiles, M.S. Thesis, ‘Determination of Reactivity Ratios for Acrylonitrile/Methyl Acrylate Radical Copolymerization Via Nonlinear Methodologies Using Real Time FTIR,’ Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2002, http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09022002-112751/.

K.B. Wiles, Ph.D. Dissertation, ‘High Performance Disulfonated Poly(arylene sulfone) Co- and Terpolymers for Proton Exchange Membranes for Fuel Cell and Transducer Applications: Synthesis, Characterization and Fabrication of Ion Conducting Membranes,’ Interdisciplinary, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2005, http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04212005-215145/

Patents and Patents Pending

U.S. Patent, Filed March 10, 2005, “Direct Assembly Process: A Novel Fabrication Technique for Ionic Polymer Transducers,” Inventors - B. Akle, D.J. Leo, M. Bennett, K. B. Wiles and J. E. McGrath, Licensing by Discover Technologies, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC.

Selected First Author Preprint Publications and Presentations

K.B. Wiles, B.J. Akle, D.J. Leo and J. E. McGrath, ‘Performance Characterization on Various Electrode Morphologies of Ionic Polymer Transducers,’ Proceedings of Electrochemical Society, Presentation at the 206^th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Honolulu, HI, 2004.

K.B. Wiles, J.E. McGrath, ‘Ionomer Membrane-Ioinic Liquid Composites for High Temperature Proton Exchange in Fuel Cell Applications,’ Proceedings of Electrochemical Society, Presentation at the 206^th Meeting of The Electrochemical Society, Honolulu, HI, 2004.

K. B. Wiles, C. M. de Diego and J. E. McGrath, ‘Disulfonated Poly(arylene ether phenyl phosphine oxide sulfone) Terpolymers for PEM Fuel Cell Systems,’ Preprints of Symposia - American Chemical Society, Division of Fuel Chemistry (2004), 49(2), 538-540,presented at the National ACS Conference in Philadelphia, PA.

K.B. Wiles, C. M. de Diego and J.E. McGrath, ‘Poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) Copolymer Composites for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems: Extraction and Conductivity,’ Polymer Preprints, 2004, 45(1), 724, presented at the National ACS Conference in Anaheim, CA.

K.B. Wiles, V.A. Bhanu, F. Wang, M. A. Hickner and J.E. McGrath, ‘Poly(arylene thioether sulfone) Copolymers for PEM Based Fuel Cell Systems,’ Polymer Preprints, 2003, 44(1), 1089, presented at the National ACS Conference in New Orleans.

K.B. Wiles,V.A. Bhanu, F. Wang, and J.E. McGrath, ‘Synthesis and Characterization of Disulfonated Poly(arylene sulfide sulfone) Copolymers as Candidates for Proton Exchange Membranes,’ Polymer Preprints, 2002, 43(2), 993, presented at the National ACS Conference in Boston.

K.B. Wiles, V.A. Bhanu, T.E. Long and J.E. McGrath, ‘Determination of Reactivity Ratios for Acrylonitrile/Methyl Acrylate Free-Radical Copolymerization Via Nonlinear Methodologies Using Real Time FTIR,’ Polymer Preprints, 2001, 42(2), 608, presented at the National ACS Conference in Chicago.

Awards and Fellowships

·   Seeding Postdoctoral Innovators in Research and Education (SPIRE) Posdoctoral Fellowship granted from the National Institutes of Health, 2005-2008.

·   Macromolecular Science and Engineering Program Fellowship for Outstanding Graduate Research, 2004.

·   Chevron-Phillips Chemical Company and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Travel Grant Award, 2004.

·   Graduate Research Development Project Grant, Fall 2003.

· OMNOVA Solutions Signature University Award Fellowship for Outstanding Research, 2002.

UNC Coastal Studies Institute
217 Budleigh Street PO Box 699 Manteo, NC 27954 tel. (252) 475.3663 fax (252) 475.3545