Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, 2015
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Toledo, 2010
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, California, #6872
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Oregon, #101576PE
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Texas, #133642
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, Washington, #22030226
Professional Affiliations
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
  • Product Stewardship Society

Dr. Worthen leverages chemistry, physics, and engineering principles to understand the behavior of material systems and the processes by which they are created. He has evaluated products and processes related to plastics, textiles, consumer electronics, building materials, adhesives, paints, inks, medical devices, foods, cosmetics, personal care products, oilfield operations, pipelines, and oil refineries. 

He also has extensive experience in contaminant identification and quantification in consumer goods and environmental releases. He regularly supports clients through research and development, failure analysis and root cause determination, intellectual property evaluation, and risk assessment.

Dr. Worthen's academic background and areas of focus include dispersions and colloidal systems. In these areas, he consults on topics such as formulation design, component compatibility, and product stability. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Worthen conducted his doctoral research in chemical engineering focused on formulating complex fluid mixtures containing polymers, surfactants, and nanomaterials. During his research, he developed customized methods to examine the impact of molecular-scale interactions on the bulk properties of dispersions, emulsions, and foams. These formulations were developed for use in the energy and environmental industries for applications such as enhanced oil recovery, hydraulic fracturing, and oil spill cleanup.

At Exponent, Dr. Worthen helps clients solve complex problems by utilizing fundamentals of chemical engineering, materials characterization, colloid science, and polymer physics. Specific projects include adhesives failure analysis and critical review of associated manufacturing processes, coating performance evaluation and formulation development, demulsifier formulation intellectual property support, particulate material characterization and surface analysis, stability assessment of building materials, root cause determination of pipe and tubing failures, plastic component accelerated aging and property loss measurement, injection molded fitting recall support, selection and evaluation of plastics additives, contaminant identification and quantification in flooring products, optical and thermal property measurement of textile materials, environmental emissions calculations, and quantification of chemical migration in consumer products.