ChBE Department Updates - July 11, 2024
Department Headlines
Chemical and Biological Engineering announces Professor Ryan Hayward as new chair
Professor Ryan Hayward has witnessed the continued advancement of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering since he joined CU Boulder four years ago. Now he’s looking forward to stepping into his new role as department chair.
CU Boulder chemical engineering graduate program ranked no. 11 among public universities
When compared with its public university peers, the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s graduate program was ranked No. 12.
Updated major offers students flexibility in exploring biological engineering courses
Starting in August, the BS degree in chemical and biological engineering (CBEN) will be renamed biological engineering (BIEN).
Alumni News
Video: Sanjeev Redkar, Distinguished Engineering Alumni award recipient
Sanjeev RedkarÌý(PhD ChemEngr’94) received the 2024ÌýDistinguished Engineering Alumni award for his commitment to community service and educating future leaders and entrepreneurs while promoting innovation.
Thad Sauvain: 2024 Alumni Engagement Medal Award recipient
Thad Sauvain has served as the president of the ChBE’s External Advisory Board. He has participated in various alumni activities, including panel talks, guest lectures, career fairs, mock interviews, mentoring and supporting senior design project support. He's also facilitated Chevron's funding for several college initiatives.
2024 Distinguished Alumni Mentor of the Year Award: Ben Mousseau
Ben Mousseau (ChemBio’16) is grateful for the mentors who guided him. Now a global supply manager at Tesla, Mousseau has been giving back to the ChBE department by mentoring students through the department’s Alumni Student Mentor Program.Ìý
Research News
Charge your laptop in a minute or your EV in 10? Supercapacitors can help; new research offers clues
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, researchers in Ankur Gupta’s lab are working on improving supercapacitors for energy storage by studying how they store energy at the nanoscale.
CU Boulder researchers tackle HIV-related cognitive decline
Assistant Professors Kayla Sprenger and Laurel Hind are on a collaborative mission to explore solutions for mitigating cognitive decline in individuals living with HIV. This decline can be caused by both the virus itself and the antiretroviral drugs used to treat it.
Researchers take major step toward developing next-generation solar cells
In a paper published in the journal Nature Energy, Professor Michael McGehee and his international collaborators unveiled an innovative method to manufacture new solar cells, known as perovskite cells, an achievement critical for the commercialization of the next generation of solar technology.
Student News
ChBE seniors win 25 percent of college graduating student awards
Eight graduating seniors from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering were honored withÌý10ÌýGraduating Student AwardsÌýfrom the College of Engineering and Applied Science this year.
Six chemical and biological engineering students earn major NSF fellowships
Five chemical and biological engineeringÌýgraduate students and one ChBE undergraduate student have received 2024ÌýNational Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, a prestigious award that recognizes and supports outstanding students in a wide variety of science-related disciplines.
Two ChBE students earn prestigious Goldwater Scholarships
Chemical and Biological Engineering students Claire Ely and Delaney McNally are among 438 U.S. college students awarded 2024 Goldwater Scholarships, which reward sophomores and juniors who are conducting research in math, science and engineering.
CU Boulder postdoc earns biomedical fellowship for intestine research
Kaustav Bera, a ChBE postdoctoral researcher, was awarded a three-year postdoctoral fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. The fellowship will support Bera’s postdoctoral training in studying the body’s maintenance of the gut epithelium.
PhD student wins prestigious Teets fellowship
Arkava Ganguly, a third-year PhD student in the Gupta research group, has been honored withÌýa 2024 Teets Family Endowed Doctoral Fellowship. The fellowship providesÌý$15,000 over two-years and supports students engaged inÌýnanotechnology research.
Faculty News
Wyatt Shields selected as Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
Wyatt Shields has been honored with a 2024 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award for his contributions to teaching and research on medical microrobots, self-propelled miniature robots that one day might deliver prescription drugs to hard-to-reach places inside the human body.
VitriVax, spinoff of Ted Randolph's lab, receives Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $5 million grant
The grant will help the company to further develop its proprietary single shot, thermostabilization vaccine technology, called Atomic Layering Thermostable Antigen and Adjuvant, or ALTA, and begin the development of pilot-scale manufacturing capacity.
Dan Schwartz awarded prestigious American Chemical Society Langmuir Lectureship
Professor Daniel K. Schwartz has been honored with the prestigious American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry 2024 Langmuir Lectureship award. Schwartz was nominated by his colleagues for significant contributions to the field of colloid and interface science.
Jerome Fox elevated to senior member of prestigious National Academy of Inventors
Associate Professor Jerome Fox has been named a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. Fox's research focuses on engineering microbes for drug discovery. He founded Think Bioscience, a company developing medicines for conditions like Rett Syndrome and cancer.
Hendrik Heinz awarded IAAM Scientist Medal
Hendrik Heinz, professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been awarded an International Association for Advanced Materials, Scientist Medal in recognition of his contributions to advanced materials, engineering and technology.
Retired professor’s passion rooted in academic engagement
Since retiring in 2017 from CU Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Professor Dave Clough has collaborated on three textbooks. He’s also regularly involved with students, participating in PhD committees and undergraduate activities alike.