Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2017
  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 2011
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Chemical, California, #7075
Professional Honors
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, 2012-2015
Professional Affiliations
  • Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) member (2020-present)
  • Participating Member of ASTM International (2022-present)
Languages
  • Czech

Trained as a chemical engineer, Dr. Buss focuses on structure-property relationships in polymer systems. She has applied this expertise to a variety of applications including coatings, personal care products, and batteries. 

Dr. Buss is well versed in numerous polymerization methods (including free radical, controlled free radical, emulsion, anionic, and solid phase synthesis) and characterization techniques (including DSC, GPC, NMR, FTIR LC-MS, and TGA). She routinely utilizes these methods and techniques to assist in the formulation of novel materials for commercial products such as paints, creams, artificial stucco, and detergents.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Buss worked at Dow Chemical, developing new monomers for use in acrylic emulsion polymerization for binders and rheology modifiers. These latexes were used in a range of applications including skin protection, coatings, and construction materials. While at Dow she also developed methods for evaluating primary cleaning in the auto-dishwashing market, and used data analytics to optimize the operation of several industrial waste water treatment plants. During her time at the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Buss' research was focused on marine antifouling coatings and high transference number electrolytes for batteries.