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The Hoare lab works at the interface of polymer engineering, physical chemistry, and biology, aiming to design novel materials with “smart” properties precisely tuned to the environment and application in which the material is to be used.  We have particular interest in the rational design of “smart” hydrogel-based materials on different length scales (i.e. bulk hydrogels, microgels, and nanogels).  We combine the synthetic tools of polymer chemistry, the analytical tools of physical chemistry, and the mathematical modelling tools of chemical engineering to create new hydrogels and other types of soft materials with chemistries, structures, and properties precisely engineered for applications in biomedical engineering (e.g. drug delivery, biosensors, and tissue engineering), agriculture/agrifood, and the environment.