Bryan Gross

I am a polymer and materials scientist currently working as a Research Assistant in the Spider silk team. My work mainly focuses on fiber spinning, material characterization, and understanding how processing and structure affect the final properties of materials.

At SLU, I now use this experience to work with spider silk-based fibers, looking at how the material and spinning conditions influence fiber formation, structure, morphology, and mechanical performance. I mainly work with rheology, microscopy, physicochemical characterization, and mechanical testing to better understand these processing–structure–property relationships.

My research in the Spider Silk team focuses on the relationship between spinning, fiber structure, and material performance. I investigate how the properties of the starting material and the conditions used during fiber formation affect molecular and structural organization, morphology, and the mechanical properties of the resulting fibers.

A major part of my work is the characterization of materials before, during, and after fiber formation. I use rheological and physico-chemical methods to study material behavior and interactions, microscopy to examine fiber morphology and structure, and mechanical testing to evaluate fiber performance.

By combining these techniques, I aim to establish clear processing–structure–property relationships and identify the parameters that control successful fiber formation and high mechanical performance. This knowledge supports the development and optimization of spider silk-based fibers and other high-performance biomaterial systems.