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Chemical & Biological Engineering Research

Research in chemical and biological engineering

Research in CBE is highly collaborative and often involves diverse teams from within the department, across campus, at other campuses, and in industry. CBE researchers address the most pressing challenges facing society by developing approaches to sustainably produce new fuels and chemicals, combat the plastic pollution crisis, create new therapeutic molecules and materials, optimize energy infrastructure, computationally design new materials and chemical processes, understand transport in complex environments, engineer bacteria to produce biofuels, and more.

Research focus areas

Our research activities are broadly divided into the areas below. Each area encompasses multiple core faculty and affiliate faculty (faculty who are primarily associated with other departments but advise CBE graduate students). Faculty research interests are highly interdisciplinary; consequently, most faculty have interests that span multiple areas.

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

The REU program in Chemical and Biological Engineering provides students the opportunity to pursue summer research as part of a large community of researchers. Students have the opportunity to explore phenomena in the fields of chemistry and chemical and biological engineering through hands-on research projects in laboratories.