Karin Bichler

Karin J Jakobi

Instrument Scientist - Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Karin Bichler is a neutron scattering scientist at GP-SANS, located at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She earned her PhD in Physics from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2020 working in the research group of Prof. Gerald Schneider. During her doctoral studies, her research focused on the structure and dynamics of bottlebrush polymers using neutron scattering and complementary laboratory techniques—work she further extended during her subsequent time as a postdoctoral researcher at LSU.

Prior to moving to the United States, she attended the University of Regensburg in Germany, where she received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Physics in 2014 and 2016, respectively. During her master's studies, she already joined Prof. Schneider’s lab in the Chemistry Department at LSU, utilizing broadband dielectric spectroscopy to investigate the dynamical behavior of polymer melts and blends. This research was further supported by a visiting research experience at the Materials Physics Center (CFM) in San Sebastián, Spain.

Her research interests center on the structure and dynamics of soft matter using neutron scattering and complementary techniques. Her primary methodological expertise includes small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS), and neutron spin echo (NSE) spectroscopy, paired with broadband dielectric spectroscopy, rheology, and fast field-cycling NMR.

  • Sharif Md. N., Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., The influence of water on the dynamics of alternating polymers P(C8EG4) and P(C4EG4) by broadband dielectric spectroscopy, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2026, 10.1088/1361-648X/ae859e

  • Jakobi, B., Bichler, K. J., Klapproth, A., Mole, R. A., Schneider, Accelerating Ion Transport by Dynamic Asymmetry of Alternating Polymer Electrolytes, Soft Matter 2026, 10.1039/D5SM01160D

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Sarter, M., Schneider, G. J., Backbone Dynamics of Bottlebrush Polymers Studied by Neutron Scattering, Macromolecules 2025, 10.1021/acs.macromol.5c01062

  • Huber, S., Jakobi, B., Bichler, K. J., Passini, S., Radulescu, A., Holderer, O., Gottschalk-Gausig, T., Schneider, G. J., Importance of End-Block Contributions in the Single Chain Dynamics of Unentangled Polymer Melts, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2025, 10.1088/1361-648X/ae0bde

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Polymer Dynamics at Low Molecular Weights of Poly(butylene oxide) Star Polymers, Soft Matter 2025, 10.1039/D4SM01179A

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Klapproth, A., Mole, R. A., Schneider, G. J., Position Dependent Segmental Relaxation in Bottlebrush Polymers. Macromolecules 2024, 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00243

  • Jakobi, B., Bichler, K. J., Juranyi, F., Schneider, G. J., Reversed Dynamics of Bottlebrush Polymers with Stiff Backbone and Flexible Side Chains. The Journal of Chemical Physics 2024, 10.1063/5.0184429

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Chain Dynamics of Alternating Polymers P(CnEG4). Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2024, 10.1088/1361-648X/ad443f

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Segmental Relaxation of Sequence Defined Polymers. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2024, 10.1088/1361-648X/ad11aa

  • Wu, M., Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Grzesiowski, A., Schneider, G. J., End Block Dynamics in Unentangled Polymers by Dielectric Spectrosocpy. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2023, 10.1088/1361-648X/acdbf7

  • Wu, M., Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Uniqueness of Relaxation Times Determined by Dielectric Spectrosocpy. Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter 2023, 10.1088/1361-648X/acbcb8

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Klapproth, A., Tominaga, T., Mole, R. A., Schneider, G. J., Side Chain Dynamics of Poly(norbornene)-g-Poly(propylene oxide) Bottlebrush Polymers. Macromolecular Rapid Communications 2022, 10.1002/marc.202200902

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Dynamics of Bottlebrush Polymers. EPJ Web of Conferences 2022, 10.1051/epjconf/202227201002

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Honecker, D., Stingaciu, L. R., Weldeghiorghis, T., Collins, J. H. P., Schneider, G. J., Dynamics of Bottlebrush Polymers in Solution by Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy. Macromolecules 2022, 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01177

  • Bichler, K. J., Morphology and Dynamics of Bottlebrush Polymers: Doctoral Thesis accepted by Louisiana State University, USA. Springer International Publishing 2021.

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., García Sakai, V., Klapproth, A., Mole, R. A., Schneider, G. J., Universality of the Time-Temperature Scaling Observed by Neutron Spectroscopy on Bottlebrush Polymers. Nano Letters 2021, 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01379

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Schneider, G. J., Dynamical Comparison of Different Polymer Architectures – Bottlebrush vs. Linear Polymer. Macromolecules 2021, 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02104

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., García Sakai, V., Klapproth, A., Mole, R. A., Schneider, G. J., Short Time Dynamics of PDMS-g-PDMS Bottlebrush Polymer Melts Investigated by Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering. Macromolecules 2020, 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01846

  • Jakobi, B., Bichler, K. J., Sokolova, A., Schneider, G. J., Dynamics of PDMS-g-PDMS Bottlebrush Polymers by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy. Macromolecules 2020, 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c01277

  • Bichler, K. J., Jakobi, B., Huber, S. O., Gilbert, E. P., Schneider, G. J., Structural Analysis of Ultrasoft PDMS-g-PDMS Shell-Only Particles. Macromolecules 2020, 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01598.