In the fall, the School of Engineering and Applied Science asked me to elaborate on the state of this department and the field of chemical and biological engineering more broadly. Quite frankly, I found this task a little daunting. How does one summarize such a dynamic network of people and ideas?
The fact is, we have a lot going on. In January, our newest faculty member, Michele Sarazen, began advising her first two graduate students. We also launched a new website, dedicated to showcasing the full extent of talent exhibited by our students and researchers. Over the last few months, our faculty and alumni have made major advances in fields ranging from catalysis to bioengineering, and been awarded handsomely. We have an influx of new cutting-edge equipment being installed in Hoyt Laboratory. And a handful of our investigators are leading new initiatives within SEAS, known as "Focused Research Teams," that aim to advance technology through collaboration across disciplines.
As always, what follows is a sample of recent activity in the department, by no means complete. I hope you enjoy the read.
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Thanos Panagiotopoulos, Chair
Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Princeton University
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Popping the top on house paint usually draws people to look inside the can. But Princeton researchers have turned their gaze upward, to the underside of the lid, where it turns out that pattern of droplets could inspire new ways to make microscopically small structures.
The trick comes in controlling the droplets, which form under competing influences like gravity and surface tension. A study from the lab of Pierre-Thomas Brun explains how a deeper understanding of these highly dynamic, sometimes unstable forces can be harnessed to cheaply and quickly fabricate objects that normally require a more expensive and time-consuming process.
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Creating new tools that harness light to probe the mysteries of cellular behavior, researchers from chemical and biological engineering have made discoveries about the formation of cellular components called membraneless organelles and the key role these organelles play in cells.
In two papers published Nov. 29 in the journal Cell, teams including José Avalos, Jared Toettcher and Clifford Brangwynne report on the conditions that lead to the formation of membraneless organelles and the impact that the formation has on cellular DNA.
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Further discovery . . .
F. Calaprice, J. Benziger et al peered into the sun’s heart and sketched the intricate chain of reactions that drive the solar furnace.
H. Stone et al found a way to cleanly and completely peel biofilms like sticker, improving everything from medical infections to fouled industrial equipment.
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Michele L. Sarazen has been appointed assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, bringing a focus on new ways to harness traditional methods for a clean-energy future.
Sarazen comes to Princeton from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she was a postdoctoral research fellow. Her research centers on catalysis, the processes by which a chemical reaction is accelerated via an agent — known as a catalyst — that is not consumed by the reaction itself.
"Catalysis is one of the founding avenues to studying chemical engineering," Sarazen said. "My interest lies in how to use the science to move forward, toward cleaner fuels and cleaner energy in general."
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After more than 10 years, the department launched a completely redesigned website in January, which brings a renewed focus on our students, a more vibrant representation of our work, and an updated set of categories for faculty research.
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In an initiative to boost collaborations on subjects too new to fit into existing departments and centers, the School of Engineering and Applied Science has created a program to fund small, cross-disciplinary groups of researchers called Focused Research Teams. Two of the three groups are led by faculty in chemical and biological engineering.
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Graduate alumna Jean W. Tom *93 has been elected into the National Academy of Engineering, considered one of the highest distinctions for engineers across disciplines.
The honor comes for Dr. Tom's work on a wide range of commercialized drugs, including 12 drugs that are currently on the market. She spent 19 years in research and development at Merck, and currently leads a team of chemical engineers in the synthesis of new small-molecule drug candidates as Head of Development Engineering at Bristol-Meyers Squibb, where she has been since 2006.
In November, Dr. Tom was recognized with the 2018 Industry Leadership Award at the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
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Clifford Brangwynne, who explores the interior structures of cells, was awarded a 2018 MacArthur Fellowship this past October.
Brangwynne investigates the physical processes by which living cells form specialized structures known as organelles, which carry out essential functions ranging from protein synthesis and cell division to the transport of large molecules within the cell.
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More News . . .
Robert K. Prud'homme was honored with the 2018 Edison Patent Award by the Research & Development Council of New Jersey.
First-year graduate student José de Jesús Montaño López received Mexico's 2018 National Youth Award, the highest honor given by the government to its citizens under 30 years old.
Princeton engineering alumna Frances Arnold won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Arnold is the first Princeton alumna to win a Nobel Prize, and only the third woman associated with the University to win.
The School of Engineering and Applied Science has revamped its first-year courses, with the goal to integrate foundational math and physics with modern engineering challenges.
For the second year in a row, chemical and biological engineering graduate student Katelyn Randazzo and lecturer C. Morris Smith were each recognized with Excellence in Teaching Awards, given by the joint undergraduate and graduate engineering councils.
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