Chemical and biological engineering research seeks to address a variety of complex and important challenges, from renewable and sustainable energy, therapeutics and pharmaceutical development, to the creation and improvement of functional materials and more.

Our department's efforts are organized into these key research areas:

    Biological Engineering

    • Biomaterials
    • Stem cells
    • Tissue engineering and regeneration
    • Cell delivery systems
    • Biosensing
    • Microphysiological systems
    • Drug delivery

    Associated Faculty: Anseth, Bay, Bowman, Bryant, Burdick, Cha, Goodwin, Hind, Kaar, Randolph, Schwartz, Shirts, Stansbury

    Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals

    • Therapeutic proteins, and vaccines and antimicrobials
    • Sustainable biorefining of fuels, commodity chemicals and pharmaceuticals
    • Biosensing using novel proteins, smart colloids, liquid crystals, polymerization or photonics

    Associated Faculty: Bowman, Burdick, Cha, Davis, Fox, Goodwin, Hind, Kaar, Randolph, Schwartz, Shields, Shirts, Sprenger, Whitehead

    Computational Engineering

    • Cellular processes for biomedical applications
    • Materials for catalysis, microelectronics, data storage and biomaterials
    • Quantum simulation of energy conversion and storage materials

    Associated Faculty: Calderon, Davis, Heinz, Hrenya, Medlin, Musgrave, Shirts, Smith, Sprenger

    Energy

    • Design of solar cells
    • New materials for the conversion and storage of energy
    • High purity hydrogen production using solar-thermal reactors

    Associated Faculty: Cha, Davis, Fox, Gupta, Hayward, Heinz, Holewinski, Hrenya, Marder, McGehee, Medlin, Musgrave, Schwartz, Smith, Toney, Weimer

    Interfaces & Catalysis

    • Electrocatalysis for renewable and sustainable energy
    • Directed self-assembly of polymeric films into useful, device-oriented structures
    • Smart colloids that sense and react to their surroundings

    Associated Faculty: Bowman, Cha, Goodwin, Gupta, Hayward, Heinz, Holewinski, Kaar, Marder, Medlin, Musgrave, Randolph, Schwartz, Shields, Smith, Sprenger, Weimer, White

    Nanomaterials & Nanotechnology

    • Nanoparticle device fabrication and modeling

    • Improved microfluidic devices

    • Emerging nanotechnology applications

    Associated Faculty: Bowman, Calderon, Cha, Goodwin, Hayward, Heinz, Holewinski, Marder, Medlin, Musgrave, Schwartz, Shields, Smith, Weimer, White

    Polymers & Soft Materials

    • Polymers for drug delivery, in vivo imaging, tissue engineering, dental restoratives, labs-on-a-chip, adhesives, coatings, lithography, microelectronics and LCDs
    • Novel monomers and photopolymerization mechanisms

    Associated Faculty: Anseth, Bay, Bowman, Bryant, Goodwin, Gupta, Hayward, Heinz, Marder, Musgrave, Randolph, Shields, Shirts, Sprenger, Stansbury, Toney, White

    Protein Engineering & Synthetic Biology

    • Genome-engineering for biofuels, pharmaceuticals and gene therapy
    • Modular synthetic genetic devices for higher-order biological computation

    Associated Faculty: Fox, Kaar, Randolph, Sprenger, Whitehead

    Transport & Separations

    • Particulate matter flows including granular, gas-particle fluidization and aerosol
    • Suspensions, sedimentation, filtration, aggregation, coalescence, flotation and phase separation
    • Polymer membranes & molecular layer deposition (MLD)

    Associated Faculty: Davis, Gupta, Hrenya, Medlin, Schwartz, Shields, Shirts, Toney, Weimer