Events

Feb 27

Theoretical Modeling and Experimental Characterization of the Rheological Properties of Biopolymer Gels with Active Biological Constituents

CBEB 001
10:35am

Additional Information:

Andrew Spakowitz received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1999, and he defended his PhD thesis in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology in 2004.  He was a postdoctoral scholar in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley from 2004 to 2006. Andrew Spakowitz joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford as an Assistant Professor in August 2006. He was promoted to Associate Professor in April 2014 and full Professor of Chemical Engineering and of Materials Science and Engineering in 2020. Professor Spakowitz currently serves as the Tang Family Foundation Chair of Chemical Engineering.

The Spakowitz lab is engaged in projects that address fundamental chemical and physical phenomena underlying a range of biological processes and soft-material applications. Current research in the lab focuses on four main research themes: chromosomal organization and dynamics, protein self-assembly, polymer membranes, and charge transport in conducting polymers. These broad research areas offer complementary perspectives on chemical and physical processes, and the Spakowitz lab leverages this complementarity to provide fundamental physical insight into these critical problems. Their approach draws from a diverse range of theoretical and computational methods, including analytical theory of semiflexible polymers, polymer field theory, continuum elastic mechanics, Brownian dynamics simulation, equilibrium and dynamic Monte Carlo simulations, analytical theory and numerical simulations of reaction-diffusion phenomena, and machine-learning and data-science approaches. A common thread in their work is the need to capture phenomena over many length and time scales, and flexibility in research methodologies provides them with the critical tools to address these complex multidisciplinary problems.

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Mar 06

Systems Engineering for Renewable Energy: Novel Approaches for New Problems

CBEB 001
10:35am

Additional Information:

Christos Maravelias is the Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and the Anderson Family Professor in Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. His research interests lie in the general area of process and energy systems engineering and optimization. Specifically, he is studying production planning and scheduling, supply chain optimization, and energy systems synthesis and analysis with emphasis on renewable energy technologies. He has authored a research monograph on Chemical Production Scheduling and co-authored more than 200 journal articles.

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Apr 03

Reinventing the Chemicals and Materials Industry for a Net-Zero and Sustainable Future

CBEB 001
10:35am

Additional Information:

Bhavik Bakshi holds the Wrigley Professorship at Arizona State University with appointments in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, School of Sustainability and School of Complex Adaptive Systems. He directs the Center for Transitioning to a Net-Zero Chemicals and Materials Industry at ASU and is also the Richard M. Morrow professor emeritus in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Ohio State University.  His research is developing systematic methods to ensure that engineering enables an effective transformation toward sustainability. This is resulting in novel designs of products, processes, supply chains, life cycles, and landscapes that contribute to economic prosperity, respect nature’s limits, and are socially just.  In addition to many papers and invited talks, his contributions include a textbook on sustainable engineering, user-friendly software, and short courses taught across the world. He is a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and has received the highest recognitions from its Computing, Sustainability, and Environmental divisions. The American Council for Life Cycle Assessment has recognized him for his Education Leadership and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded its early career award. He is on the editorial boards of several multidisciplinary journals and has served on government committees such as task forces of the United Nations Environment Program.  He received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, MS in Chemical Engineering Practice and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with a minor in Technology and Environmental Policy. 

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Apr 10

TBD

CBEB 001
10:35am

TBD

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Apr 17

TBD

CBEB 001
10:35am

TBD

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Apr 24

TBD

CBEB 001
10:35am

TBD

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May 01

TBD

CBEB 001
10:35am

TBD

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About

The Penn State Department of Chemical Engineering, established in 1948, is recognized as one of the largest and most influential chemical engineering departments in the nation.

The department is built upon the fundamentals of academic integrity, innovation in research, and commitment to the advancement of industry.

Department of Chemical Engineering

121 Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802

Phone: 814-865-2574