Meet a P&G Innovator Advancing the Science of Everyday Care

Meet Mark Sivik, R&D Vice President and a member of P&G’s Victor Mills Society, which recognizes prolific inventors whose transformative work improves consumers’ lives.

With more than 250 granted U.S. patents and more than 30 publications, Sivik has helped advance breakthroughs across Fabric & Home Care, from polymers used in Dawn to help remove oil and contaminants from wildlife to new product forms and cleaning technologies designed for resource-constrained environments. His work reflects a consistent goal: applying science to solve difficult problems and create meaningful consumer benefits.

Sivik is one of the minds behind Tide evo, a groundbreaking laundry innovation built on patented functional-fiber technology. The detergent tile delivers concentrated cleaning ingredients with no fillers, no extra water and no plastic bottle. Sivik identifies functional-fiber development as one of his favorite roles because it “has created a new S-curve for P&G.”

In 2022, Sivik contributed to Tide’s work under a Space Act Agreement with NASA to develop laundry solutions and technology for use in space. Through testing and studies, NASA helped Tide explore how to clean laundry effectively in resource-constrained environments, including the International Space Station (ISS) and deep space. As part of P&G’s Ambition 2030 commitment, the research also sought resource efficiencies in energy, water and waste across the laundry lifecycle, from manufacturing and packaging to consumer use, to help reduce the environmental impact of a load of laundry on Earth.

Through the partnership, Sivik and his research partners studied how detergent and stain-removal products performed aboard the ISS. Testing showed that the detergent maintained its consistency and that Tide To-Go Wipes and Tide To-Go Pens effectively removed stains including sriracha, coffee, olive oil and punch. Sivik also worked with NASA researchers at its 3D-printed Mars habitat in Houston, Texas, to explore and refine cleaning solutions for deep-space missions.

Sivik’s passion for innovation began when he was a teenager. After discovering an aptitude for math and chemistry, he set out to use those skills to benefit society, a purpose that continues to shape his work today. His approach starts with consumer needs and a willingness to pursue unconventional solutions. “Perseverance and challenging oneself to step out of the norm can bring many new opportunities that drive consumer delight through new technologies and processes,” he says.

Sivik emphasizes the importance of working across functions and with external partners to advance discoveries. “By removing constraints and enrolling others and sharing accountability, even some of the hardest projects that require breakthrough can be achieved,” he says.

For Sivik, innovation extends beyond his career; it is also a way of life. Through hobbies such as sports, photography, and cooking, he continues to experiment, across many touch points strengthening the curiosity and creativity he brings to his work.

From everyday cleaning challenges to his past work addressing the demands of deep-space missions, Sivik demonstrates how curiosity, collaboration and science can unlock innovations that improve life now and in the future.