Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Natural Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, 1999
  • M.S., Physics, University of Göttingen, 1995
  • B.S., Physics, University of Tübingen, 1991
Academic Appointments
  • Adjunct Professor of Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021 – present
Professional Honors
  • Sigma Xi
  • Awarded five NSF (3-5 year) research grants as Principal Investigator (3) or co-PI (2), 2009 - 2020
  • Outstanding service recognition by the ACS division of colloid and surface chemistry for organizing and chairing the 2019 ACS Colloid & Surface Science Symposium, a 4-day event with over 500 participants from 24 countries
  • Chosen "Faculty Member of the Semester" for Spring 2008 by Alpha Gamma Delta
  • Henry and Camille Dreyfus New Faculty Award, 2007
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG)
  • Medal of the ETH for outstanding doctoral thesis
  • Research Fellowship of the Swiss National Science Foundation
Professional Affiliations
  • American Chemical Society (member)
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (member)
  • ASTM D01 Paint and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications (committee member)

Dr. Behrens applies physics, surface chemistry, and engineering principles to manipulate material properties and solve technical challenges associated with product development, manufacturing, and product/process performance. He has been consulting on numerous projects centered on the failure and degradation of polymeric materials used for piping and liquid storage systems. 

Dr. Behrens also has experience with the formulation and characterization of polymeric, particulate, or emulsified products serving a wide range of industrial purposes, including drug delivery, crop protection, human and animal nutrition, hair and skin care, cosmetics, and detergency. He has worked extensively on stability issues in colloidal dispersions, emulsions, foams, and protein solutions, and developed emulsion-based technologies for microencapsulation and microreactor fabrication. Drawing on substantial experience in both industrial and academic research, he can support clients in matters concerning product performance, intellectual property, and trade secrets.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Behrens spent 13 years as an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he made significant research contributions regarding the stabilization of protein solutions, emulsions, and non-aqueous dispersions, as well as the design of stimulus-responsive emulsions and microcapsules. He is further known for the discovery of capillary foams, a new class of foams with potential applications ranging from food and skin care to oil recovery and oil spill remediation. Before his academic appointment, Dr. Behrens worked for 5 years in the Polymer Research Division of BASF, where he headed a laboratory specialized on light scattering techniques and the advancement of formulation projects.