The U.S. Department of Energy wants researchers who will expand the boundaries of science and engineering to help provide the country the most advanced energy sources and systems. Eileen Seo, an assistant professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools, and researcher in ASU’s Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing, is among those contributing to these efforts. Her work involves tapping into the ability of new materials that respond to changes in their environment. That ability could enable integrating nanotechnology with sustainable polymer design to produce next-generation energy conversion using light-mediated processes, part of a larger goal to develop sustainable, self-repairing materials.