Maria D. Ellul

Maria D. Ellul is a retired ExxonMobil materials scientist known for her contributions to and development of commercial polyolefin and polyamide specialty thermoplastic elastomers,^[1] and recognized as one of the first prominent women scientists in the rubber industry.^[2]

Education

Ellul was born in Malta. In 1977, she earned a B.Sc. in chemistry at The Royal University of Malta and was employed as an intern with Sterling Organics. In 1979, she completed the M.Sc. degree in Polymer Science from North London Polytechnic. She earned her Ph.D. in Polymer Science from The University of Akron in 1984 under advisor Alan Gent.^[3]

Career

Ellul's first post-baccalaureate employment was in 1977 as a chemist at Dowty Seals Ltd. Her first employer following her doctorate was GenCorp/General Tire. In that role she conducted research on tire materials, adhesion of rubber^[4] and Fracture Mechanics. She joined ExxonMobil Chemical Co. in 1991 with its subsidiary Advanced Elastomer Systems. She held positions of increasing responsibility, eventually rising to Principal Scientist and retired as Senior Research Associate.

She is known for both fundamental and applied contributions to polyolefin and polyamide based thermoplastic elastomer materials. She developed methods to control the morphology^[5] and rheology of polymer blends, and contributed to the understanding of the kinetics and thermodynamics of polymer blends, block / graft copolymers and dynamic vulcanization. Ellul's research lead to the commercialization of many specialty polymers including Santoprene Thermoplastic Vulcanizates, Exxcore Dynamically Vulcanized Alloys, Vistamaxx, Butyl and EPDM. She is an Associate Editor for the scientific journal Rubber Chemistry & Technology.

Awards and recognition

1996 - Honored by the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the National Salute to Corporate Inventors.^[6]
1997 - Sparks–Thomas award from the ACS Rubber Division^[2]
1998 - Woman of the Year Award from Ohio Women's History Project^[1]
2005 - Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award from the ACS Rubber Division^[7]
2010 - Department of Polymer Science Outstanding Alumni Award from The University of Akron
2016 - ExxonMobil Chiefs' Award

References

^ ^a ^b "2018 College Alumni Award". uakron.edu. University of Akron. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Rubber industry doing more to help women succeed". Rubber and Plastics News. Crain. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^ "Polymer Science Alumna Honored". Akron Magazine. University of Akron. 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^ Ellul, M.D.; Gent, A.N. (November 1984). "The role of molecular diffusion in the adhesion of elastomers". Journal of Polymer Science: Polymer Physics Edition. 22 (11): 1953–1968. doi:10.1002/pol.1984.180221108. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^ Ellul, M.D.; Tsou, A. H.; Hu, W. (May 2004). "Crosslink densities and phase morphologies in thermoplastic vulcanizates". Polymer. 45 (10): 3351–3358. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2004.03.029. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^ "Farris, Caretta and Ellul to be honored". Rubber World. Lippencott and Peto. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
^ "Rubber Division names 5 award winners, but no Goodyear Medalist". European Rubber Journal. Crain. 27 October 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2024.