News
Research led by Assistant Professor Ankur Gupta used AI to solve a decades-old fluid mechanics problem in weeks, revealing that a nanoparticle's overall shape, not its surface texture, determines how it moves in an electric field. The finding could help scientists design nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery and medical diagnostics.
Assistant Professor Cody Ritt received the North American Membrane Society Young Membrane Scientist Award, one of the membrane science community's highest honors for early-career researchers.ÌýPresented last week at the
Associate Professor Wyatt Shields received an Army Research Office Young Investigator award to develop programmable microscopic robots inspired by protein folding.
Aashna Bhatt, a bioengineering student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, received the Clough-Weimer Summer Research Fellowship to conduct research in the Fox Lab during ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ's Young Scholars Summer Research Program. Her research explores how kinases recognize cellular targets, with potential implications for understanding disease and developing new therapies.
Lauren Sullivan, a second-year chemical engineering PhD student in the Hayward Lab, has received a prestigious National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship. The award will support her research on advanced polymer materials that could enable next-generation technologies such as solid-state batteries and electrolytes.
In 2021, Arianna McCarty was a high school junior taking calculus 3 and planning a future in medicine. When the pandemic hit, she turned an unexpected setback into a new direction — one that led her to engineering and launched a fast-rising career in research.
For 25 years, Dragan Mejic has helped bring research ideas to life in ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ machine shop, supporting hundreds of PhD students and contributing to technologies that have launched multiple companies. In February, Mejic received the 2026 Chancellor’s Employee of the Year Award.
Ten undergraduate students won 11 awards from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Please click on their names to read more about our students' accomplishments.
A little car named "Stinkinator" placed second in the Chem-E-Car car performance competition, paving the way for ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ to compete in the national competition next fall.
Ben Rains (ChemEng'19) was named the 2026 Outstanding Alumni Mentor of the Year for his exceptional mentorship of Himaghna Kuntumalla, a graduating senior in chemical and biological engineering. As an industry liaison for the Senior Design Projects course, Rains shares his experience and guidance to help students explore career paths aligned with their interests and goals.