Nathan Ewell

Nathan Ewell is a PhD candidate whose research interests focus on aerosol filtration and developing improved respiratory PPE technology, such as facemasks and respirators, essential tools for mitigating the spread of viral diseases such as Covid-19. Specifically, Nathan is working to develop PPE tools made from electro-spun nanofiber nonwoven materials that improve efficacy, manufacturing cost, and sustainability. He has successfully demonstrated an alternative to the traditional N95 technology, a new design diagram for evaluating N95 technologies. A MathWorks Fellowship will support Nathan’s work to extend these improvements to filters of any material composition, including biodegradable compositions that are more sustainable than the industry standard, polypropylene, and to further explore theories and models of aerosol filtration. MATLAB is an indispensable tool in Nathan’s work. His innovative research and the models he is sharing with the research community hold great promise to inform the design and manufacture of next- generation respiratory PPE, increasing our preparedness against viral respiratory disease.