Richard D. Colwell

Seattle, WA 98144

I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellow pursuing my PhD in the Materials Science & Engineering Department at the University of Washington. In Professor Eleftheria Roumeli’s group, I explore biomass-derived materials for sustainability applications. I am particularly interested in studying fundamental structure-property relationships to engineer high-performing biomaterials to replace incumbent fossil-derived plastics.

Previously, I earned my BS in Materials Science & Engineering at MIT, where I conducted a viability study of a low-cost cleaning method for solar panels, advised by Prof. Rafael Jaramillo. After graduating, I developed plant-based meat alternatives at Tender Food (f.k.a. Boston Meats). Later, at Amazon Worldwide Sustainability, I tested biobased packaging solutions to derisk solutions while implementing more sustainable materials.

I am also passionate about education and outreach. I have experience as a teaching assistant for various courses, and have volunteered with organizations including STEM Pals, the Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow, and the Educational Studies Program.

Outside of lab, I keep myself busy with an assortment of activities including:

Listening to -- and writing -- music
Experimenting with how to healthify recipes
Home fermentation projects
Putting numbers in spreadsheets to catalogue sensory experiences with my fiancé, Will

selected publications

ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng.

Comparative life cycle assessment of algal bioplastics and polylactic acid

Meng-Yen Lin, Richard D Colwell, Ian R Campbell, and 2 more authors

ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng., Jan 2026

Abs DOI

The massive scale of plastic production and persistent plastic waste have intensified global efforts to develop sustainable bioplastics. Algal bioplastics, produced directly from whole algal biomass, are inherently biodegradable and do not rely on agricultural feedstocks, positioning them as a versatile and accessible alternative to commercially dominant bioplastics such as polylactic acid (PLA). To guide their advancement, a comprehensive evaluation of environmental impacts, material performance, and end-of-life behavior is needed. Here, we conduct a life cycle assessment to quantify cradle-to-gate environmental impacts of lab-scale algal bioplastics made from sugar kelp across eight impact categories and benchmark them against lab-scale PLA. To support transparent optimization, we perform hotspot analyses with alternative processing and energy scenarios while investigating data variability and sensitivity to quantify uncertainty in early design. Algal bioplastics exhibit on average 47% lower environmental impacts than the lab-scale PLA baseline (33–75% across eight categories), with comparable stiffness, improved flame resistance, and 94–99% biodegradability in seawater after 120 days as quantified by biochemical oxygen demand. By providing transparent data and methods and an in-depth discussion of limitations and challenges, we establish a comprehensive foundation for algal bioplastic design, supporting future innovation and scale-up of this emerging sustainable material class.