Gross’s work lies at the interface between Chemistry and Biology. Research activities by his group emphasize sustainability and green chemistry. He began his career focused on developing biodegradable plastics and simulated in-laboratory disposal environments to test biodegradability. Current work focuses on developing next-generation biobased monomers, surfactants and materials by processes that are safe and environmentally friendly. For example, Gross is developing ‘green’ protease-catalyzed routes to peptides that are scalable for specialty chemical/material applications. Recently, his group optimized the production of a medium-side chain length poly(hydroxyalkanoates). He developed a route to ω-hydroxyfatty acids that function as monomers for polyethylene-like bioplastics that are fully compostable. He is isolating microorganisms and associated enzymes and improving their effectiveness for conversion of synthetic plastics to useful chemical building blocks.