MSE Doctoral Student is a ScarletPitch Award Winner

Noĕmie Denis, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, is a multiple ScarletPitch award winner for her research related to polymer-ceramic composites. Her recognition includes competitions within Rutgers and internationally. 

For Rutgers students, the annual campus-wide ScarletPitch competition is an opportunity to receive early validation for ideas and concepts, while connecting with mentors, alumni, and industry leaders. Denis' pitch earned her second place from the judges and a coveted special Audience Choice award. 

In addition, she was named as Rutgers' Hult Prize designee. The Hult Prize is a global student competition, known as the "Nobel Prize for students" addressing pressing social issues through viable business ideas.

"Noĕmie has endless energy when it comes to advancing climate tech," says MSE Chair and Professor Lisa Klein. "The department is proud of her success in ScarletPitch 2026, and we strongly support her efforts to promote her innovative polymer-ceramic composite."

A Winning Pitch with Commercial Potential

"This was my first time participating in a competition like this, so the recognition was incredibly encouraging," says Denis. "The wins gave me the confidence that this work resonates outside the lab. Receiving the Audience Choice award, in particular, validated that this technology addresses real-world problems that people truly care about.

"On a practical level," she adds, "the prize money was a lifesaver and gave me permission to finally replace my old laptop, which was struggling to keep up with my research needs."

Denis' pitch focused on disrupting the engineered wood industry. "Most materials we use today, like MDF and particle board, rely on formaldehyde-based resins, which are known carcinogens," she explains. "I presented our composite as a healthier, carbon-negative alternative that is non-toxic, durable, and strong—and a perfect fit for cabinetry, furniture, flooring, and interior paneling. My pitch was about proving that we don't have to choose between performance and the health of those living with these materials."

According to Denis, by combining the stiffness of traditional ceramics with the ductility of polymers, her innovative polymer-ceramic composite is at once strong, damage-tolerant, and derived from abundant feedstocks.

She is grateful for the opportunity to work in her advisor Distinguished Professor Richard Riman's lab where her research has "laid the technical foundation for translating lab-scale materials into scalable, carbon-negative solutions for structural and industrial applications," she explains. 

Denis, who expects to receive her PhD in fall 2027, adds, "This material has significant commercial potential in the built environment, and my goal is to bridge the gap between the lab and the market."

To reach that goal, she is pursuing both government and private funding to scale her innovative technology to pilot-stage and then to market as a viable and sustainable alternative to engineered wood products.