Sue Mecham

Sue Mecham has held a variety of roles in the polymer industry since 1997. Sue began their career as a Senior Post Doctoral Research Associate at Virginia Tech, where they conducted research in polymerization and characterization and mentored, trained, and assisted undergraduate and graduate researchers. In 1999, they joined Acadia Polymers as a Staff Research Chemist, developing rubber compounds and test methods for sealing applications. In 2003, they moved to Polymer Solutions Incorporated, where they held the roles of Director of Operations and Laboratory Manager, providing direction to senior staff and managing customer relationships. In 2010, they joined Virginia Tech as a Research Scientist, synthesizing and characterizing high molecular weight polyacrylonitrile homo and co-polymers. Sue also taught General Chemistry Lab at Roanoke College that same year. From 2015-2018, they worked as an Owner/Consultant at Jewel Polymer Consulting, providing expertise in polymer synthesis and characterization, reverse engineering, and failure analysis. In 2018, they became Co-Founder/CEO and President of NALA Membranes.

Sue Mecham completed their M.S. and Ph.D. in Synthetic Polymer Chemistry at Virginia Tech between 1991 and 1997.