Class of 2023: Jack Reynolds is kind of a pro

Name: Jack Reynolds

College: College of Engineering

Degree: Ph.D. in chemical engineering

Dissertation: Rheology of Filled and Unfilled Polyurethanes for Reactive Extrusion-Based Applications

Hometown: Pipersville, Pennsylvania

Plans after graduation: Reynolds is staying on at Virginia Tech in the Polymer Composite and Materials Laboratory, run by Mike Bortner, where he will manage a team of nearly 20 undergraduate and graduate researchers as they study additive manufacturing, hybrid and advanced materials, and novel 3D printing applications. 

Favorite Hokie memory: “I have to resort to the generic answer, which is my first football game. I had never experienced so many people flooding into a stadium. My wife and I had perfect seats on the fifty yard line halfway up the bleachers, and we won against UNC. Even though I woke up the next morning with my head entirely sunburnt, we had a blast. There are a lot of things you learn from your first game at VT."

Falling for polymers

Reynolds came to Virginia Tech right out of undergrad at the University of Delaware where he focused on genetics and immunology as part of a dual degree in chemical engineering and economics. He had zero knowledge of anything related to the field of polymers, which are materials used in 3D printing, but joined Mike Bortner’s lab back in 2019 anyway.

“When I came here I had no desire to be in a polymers lab, but I had a lot of great conversations with professors, and really connected with Mike Bortner," Reynolds said. "I actually listed his lab third but he was like ‘I want that kid from Delaware!’ On my first day I told him I didn’t even know what a polymer was, so I kind of stumbled into it, but I was able to get up to speed with his mentorship.”

Reynolds chose Virginia Tech due to a generous financial aid package, as well as the campus community and spirited football culture. “I didn’t go to a major sports school so it’s cool to actually have a team people recognize.”

During his time here, Reynolds studied hybrid and advanced materials used in 3D printing, with a special focus on novel material characterization.

“So many materials we wish to use for traditional 3D printing applications aren’t thermoplastic. They don’t melt. Since so many plastics that consumers deal with on a daily basis just degrade if you heat them up, we need to expand our catalog. One of the major things we do is material discovery, and it’s cool because we’re on the forefront of a new technology.”

In Bortner’s lab, Reynolds uses a technology called direct ink write, which is different from most 3D printing processes wherein researchers melt plastic and it re-solidifies.  

“What we do is take really viscous materials that seem solid, but actually behave as liquids as well, and use them to print complex shapes you couldn’t make with more traditional methods,” Reynolds explained. “It’s like shoving peanut butter or playdough through a nozzle; you think about these materials being solid but, in reality, they’re both solid and liquid. The field has many applications for consumers, and cosmetics is a great example.”

Reynolds’ role in Bortner’s lab post-graduation will be crucial in continuing the work he began as a graduate student. In addition to finishing his own experiments, Reynolds will be responsible for maintaining the longevity of the lab by coordinating funding opportunities, writing national proposals, and cultivating a strong culture of learning, one that is friendly, social, and open to discussing future goals and mistakes. 

“As a leader students already knew and could trust, I wanted to step in and use my personal approach to foster camaraderie," Reynolds said.

"My role will involve cultivating group dynamics, organizing graduate and undergraduate research projects, and managing our funding sources with military research labs and governmental and environmental organizations. My job in managing those sponsorships is to show them that what we’re doing is quantifiable and tangible. Our students are really putting in the work.”

From the lab to the mat

When Reynolds wasn’t performing doctoral research in Bortner’s lab, he was taking opponents to the mat as a professional Jiu-Jitsu competitor. Although he didn’t begin the martial art until he was an undergrad, Reynolds quickly excelled at the combat sport, and with his wife’s encouragement decided to compete for real.

“When I got to Tech I found the Team Mannon gym right off of campus after training at Triple Threat Combat Sports for the past five years. After training several hours a day, five times a week I started having my own professional matches regularly.”

He went on to be a competitor and instructor, holding guest seminars for Virginia Tech’s MMA club, where he helped students learn the basics, as well as more advanced moves at the pro-level. Over the last nine years, he has traveled up and down the east coast and competed in 100-150 matches. This year he even made it to the equivalent of the olympic trials days before defending his doctoral dissertation.

“My goal was to win one match,” Reynolds said. “I won it in 10 seconds I think, and then I lost my second match to a guy I’ve looked up to since 2014. The bracket had 256 people, and I made it to the best of 128.”

While Reynolds looks forward to furthering his research career at Virginia Tech, he eventually intends to return to the North East to continue his academic work.

“I’d love to return to the Delaware or Pennsylvania area and either pursue a government research position or go into industry. Truthfully, though, the dream is to one day have my own jiu-jitsu gym,” Reynolds said.