Nicholas Diaco

PhD Candidate, Department of Mechanical Engineering
“Recyclable Resin 3D Printing with Dissolvable Supports”

Nicholas Diaco is an MIT Presidential Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in Professor A. John Hart’s group, advancing selective solubility vat photopolymerization (SSVP), a resin-based 3D printing process he developed at MIT. He earned a BS in engineering physics from Cornell University, conducting polymer chemistry research in Professor Christopher K. Ober’s lab. While working in industry in 2016, he invented multi-wavelength 3D printing, laying the groundwork for SSVP.

As a Kavanaugh Fellow, Nick aims to commercialize SSVP. Using a single resin and two wavelengths of light—visible light to form a dissolvable thermoplastic and UV to create a sturdy thermoset—the method enables automated resin 3D printing, simplifies the manufacturing of intricate structures, and achieves fully closed-loop recycling. The fellowship will support efforts to validate a flagship market and secure early industry interest in SSVP.

Outside the lab, Nick surfs, snowboards, golfs, and birdwatches. He recently served as co-chair of MIT’s Grad Rat ring committee.