Primary Job Title Professor of Biology Primary Organization University of Massachusetts Amherst
Location Springfield, Massachusetts, United States Regions East Coast, New England, Northeastern US Gender Male
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Duncan J Irschick is an integrative biologist and innovator interested in the evolution and ecology of animal athletics, and how biological form informs synthetic design. His research on gecko adhesion, animal movement, and bioinspiration has garnered international acclaim and awards.
Duncan has published 132 papers on animal function and
evolution, and has been a co-inventor on several patents. He has received generous funding from NIH, NSF, and private foundations, and media attention from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNET.org, and CNN.
Most recently, Duncan has collaborated with Al Crosby from the Polymer Sciences Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to apply evolutionary principles towards the creation of a novel gecko-like adhesive. In 2012, they, along with Mike Bartlett, Dan King, and others described GeckskinTM, a synthetic gecko-like adhesive that is capable of holding more than 300 kg on smooth surfaces, is easily removable, and leaves no residue. Geckskin was hailed by CNN as one of the top five scientific breakthroughs of 2012 because of its ability to provide powerful, removable and reusable adhesion at large sizes.
