Michael S. Wong
The Catalysis and Nanomaterials Laboratory is directed by Professor Michael Wong. Their research program broadly addresses engineering problems using the tools of materials chemistry. They work in the thematic area of nanotechnology and currently in the application areas of energy (chemicals production from oil/gas and biomass), downhole oil detection and enhanced recovery, photovoltaics, rechargeable batteries, and the environment (water cleanup, green chemistry). We develop and apply materials synthesis techniques to understand better how structure affects the catalytic properties of a nanomaterial.
Sibani Lisa Biswal
The Biswal Lab focuses on Engineering Soft Matter. Colloids, polymers, lipids and foams are all examples of soft matter, the physical properties of which are easily deformed by thermal forces. These systems are commonly found in nature and have a number of important applications. By manipulating these systems using microfluidic devices or micromechanical structures, we are able to understand their fundamental properties and engineer materials with new functionalities.
Walter Chapman
In Walter Chapman's Research Group, they develop statistical mechanics based molecular theories to study structure-property relations in complex fluids. They also refer to molecular simulation, NMR and other experimental techniques to validate our models. Their current interests include polymer solutions, blends, brushes and composites, associating fluids, confined fluids, asphaltenes and electrolytes.
Abbas Firoozabadi
The Firoozabadi Research Group centers on: 1) molecular modeling and structures, and 2) numerical simulation of subsurface flow, both of which are focused on hydrocarbon energy production. The research on molecular modeling and structures includes experimental measurements, theoretical modeling of classical and statistical thermodynamics, and molecular simulations.
Xue (Sherry) Gao
The Gao Laboratory's research lies at the interface of chemical biology and biomolecular engineering with a primary focus on small- and macro-molecule discovery and their applications to human health, agriculture, and energy.
Frederick C. MacKintosh
The MacKintosh Group's research interests concern the fundamental physics of soft matter, of which biological materials are principal examples.
Amanda Marciel
The Marciel Lab uses precision synthesis techniques to investigate the influence of polymer sequence and architecture on solution and bulk soft matter properties using single molecule techniques, light scattering and rheology.
Aditya Mohite
The Mohite Research Group focuses on Materials Physics for Energy Management with research interests in 3D Organic-Inorganic hybrid perovskite based Solar cells, 2D Layered Perovskite based Opto-electronic devices, and Layered transition metal di-chalcogenides (TMD) for opto-electronic devices.
Matteo Pasquali
The unifying research theme of the Complex Flows and Complex Fluids group, led by Matteo Pasquali, is the interaction of flow and liquid micro- and nano-structure. Most engineered materials are formed and/or processed in the liquid state; they are complex fluids because they possess intrinsic length scales that are well-separated from the macroscopic length scales of the process (usually tens of micrometers to meters) and the nanoscopic length scales of the solvent (usually smaller than one nanometer).
Tom Senftle
The Senftle Group develops and applies computational modeling tools for assessing complex, multi-component catalysts at both the electronic and atomistic level. Particular focus is placed on developing fundamental structure-activity relationships informing the rational design of catalytic systems for efficient energy conversion, storage, and utilization.
Ross Thyer
The Thyer Research Group combines biomolecular engineering, synthetic biology, and laboratory automation to interrogate the function of biological molecules and expand nature’s capabilities. Main areas of research include: (1) using expanded genetic codes to develop new therapeutics, (2) engineering industrial biocatalysts and biosynthesis pathways for high-value natural products, and (3) developing novel microbial systems for bioremediation of persistent environmental pollutants and biorecovery of valuable materials from waste streams.
Rafael Verduzco
The Verduzco Laboratory develops polymeric materials for applications in energy, sustainability, remediation, and health. The unifying theme of this work is engineering materials at the molecular level to achieve a stronger fundamental understanding of material properties.
Haotian Wang
The research in Wang Group is currently focused on exploring highly efficient catalysts for very important catalytic reactions, including carbon dioxide reduction, H2O2 generation, N2 reduction, water splitting, fuel cell electrocatalysis, and so on. Coupling electrochemical redox reactions for high-energy rechargeable batteries is also what we explore.