2025 News

2025

2024 2026

Dec 18

A more efficient training workflow for hybrid modeling

Researchers apply long-standing optimization methods to new technology, creating a workflow that effectively and efficiently trains scientific machine learning models.

Dec 15

Training students to bring fundamentals to AI frontiers Opens in new window

Chemical engineering students learn to fuse domain knowledge with machine learning and data science, a combination of skills that puts them at the forefront of changes in industry.

Dec 03

Gellman to receive American Chemical Society award

ACS recognizes Andrew Gellman for distinguished services in the advancement of surface chemistry.

Dec 02

Recent alums advance AI for science at startups

Adeesh Kolluru, Yuri Sanspeur, Brook Wander, and Xiaoxiao (Lory) Wang apply their chemical engineering training at the intersection of AI, computational chemistry, and materials science.

Nov 26

Alum Darrell Velegol gives Anderson Lecture

In the lecture honoring his mentor John Anderson, Darrell Velegol (‘97) discusses his current study of innovation processes and budgeting.

Nov 25

Industry collaboration yields top Optimization and Engineering paper

Ignacio Grossmann, Dev Kakkad (‘22), and their co-authors receive the Howard Rosenbrock Prize for an algorithm that makes optimization models more explainable.

Nov 19

A tiny lens into the vast world of soil microbes Opens in new window

Microorganisms behave differently in the lab, so researchers designed nanocultures to cultivate them in their natural environment. Magnetic shells provide an efficient way to retrieve them.

Research paper Opens in new window

Nov 18

Livengood honored with Alumni Achievement Award

Joanna M. Livengood’s accomplishments as a civil service leader at the U.S. Department of Energy are celebrated at Carnegie Mellon’s 75th annual Alumni Awards.

Nov 14

Student spotlight: Vishwa Maharajan

To understand biological systems and technology more deeply, Vishwa Maharajan chose a master’s degree program that intersects chemical engineering with biotechnology applications.

Nov 13

NSF center creates opportunities for computer-assisted discovery

Gabe Gomes and other computational chemistry and computer science experts in the National Science Foundation Center for Computer Assisted Synthesis are collaborating to speed up materials discovery.

Nov 06

10th Berg Symposium celebrates undergraduate researchers

Top poster presenters Thea Spellmeyer and Ruoyun Xu were named Berg Scholars and received funding from the department to attend the American Institute of Chemical Engineers conference.

Nov 03

Modeling aerosol-cloud interactions Down Under Opens in new window

Ph.D. student Noah Asch studies how aerosols interact with the atmosphere and form clouds within the Gordon research group. Their latest project brought them to New Zealand, flying above the Southern Ocean to better understand atmospheric processes that occur at high latitudes.

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Nov 02

Alum spotlight: Millicent Sullivan

Whether designing biomaterials or leading her department at the University of Delaware, Millicent Sullivan (‘03) stays centered on how the parts of a system interface with each other.

Oct 29

Akinci appointed Dean of College of Engineering Opens in new window

Burcu Akinci has been appointed the next Dean of CMU’s College of Engineering, effective January 1, 2026.

Oct 28

Jen receives American Association for Aerosol Research award

Coty Jen is honored for outstanding early-career technical contributions to aerosol science and technology.

Oct 23

Student spotlight: Naomi Dibong

Through a Unilever internship and L’Oréal fellowship, undergraduate Naomi Dibong is pursuing career interests that span skincare, cosmetics, and dermatology.

Oct 21

Controlling the course of contrails Opens in new window

Han Ding is working to make aviation more sustainable through a high-resolution weather model.

Oct 20

An innovative summer at NETL Opens in new window

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Carnegie Mellon University have a decades-long history of research partnerships and a well-established pipeline between the two institutions.

Oct 15

Immune memory and the future of RNA delivery

With a vision for delivery vehicles that are designed to work around the immune system’s memory, Kathryn Whitehead reframes the current approach to expanding RNA therapies.

Oct 14

Agentic science and the rise of the self-driving lab

In a Q&A, John Kitchin and collaborators discuss how AI that can think and act like a junior scientist could revolutionize science and how the technology can be used responsibly.

Oct 13

Alums Jackson and Pozzo give keynote talks at ChEGSA Symposium

Jennifer Jackson (’03) and Lilo Pozzo (’06) are the keynote speakers for the 47th Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association Research Symposium.

Oct 08

Summer of discovery Opens in new window

Five students who participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program enriched their studies by conducting research related to the biomedical applications of their respective engineering fields.

Oct 07

A mathematical picture of properties at fluid-fluid interfaces

Aditya Khair’s mathematical methods simplify the problem of predicting surface tension at fluid-fluid interfaces. The fundamental research is part of a collaboration with Dow.

Oct 01

CATNIP for chemists: Data-driven tool broadens access to green chemistry

The predictive model recommends the best-performing enzyme to catalyze a chemical reaction.

Sep 30

Sustainability studies connect fields for solving problems

Keenan Norton and other students in the Environmental and Sustainability Studies program are preparing to address climate, water, and pollution challenges.

Sep 24

A regional model for producing clean hydrogen Opens in new window

Ana Torres received a 2025 seed grant from the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University to study potential clean hydrogen production methods for Western Pennsylvania.

Sep 23

Cracking the shell to unlock new frontiers in microbiome research

Tagbo Niepa engineered microcapsule shells that can rupture on-demand, releasing the microbes cultivated inside.

Sep 18

The transport phenomena behind products you use every day

Through a 12-year collaboration with The Procter & Gamble Company, chemical engineering faculty and students conduct fundamental studies that help guide product formulation.

Sep 15

Investigating the hole story of making pores in cell membranes

With the NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award, Derin Sevenler will study pore formation and repair in cell membranes. The research can help to make gene therapies more accessible.

Sep 08

Electric shocks power-off drug-resistant yeast Opens in new window

Electrochemical therapy makes currently-available drugs more effective against yeast infections that the CDC classifies as an urgent threat.

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Sep 05

Alum spotlight: Soumyajit Chowdhuri

A ChemE master’s degree added coding and modeling expertise to Soumyajit Chowdhuri’s experimental skillset. The ability to stay ahead of the curve has propelled his career at Sanofi.

Aug 28

Finding the best decarbonization pathways for refineries Opens in new window

A decision-making tool from the Center for Advanced Process Decision-making predicts the best strategy for an oil refinery to implement decarbonization technologies.

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Aug 25

Spontaneous mixing at oil/water interface

After observing unexpected fluid flows, researchers working with The Procter & Gamble Company set out to understand the spontaneous mixing and learn how to control it.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Aug 13

Microfluidic platform for monitoring parasite spread by ticks Opens in new window

As cases of babesiosis increase, scientists now have a better way to study how the parasite is transmitted and how it infects red blood cells over time.

Watch the Video Opens in new window

Aug 07

Lorenz Biegler named director of CAPD

Lorenz Biegler is the next director of the Center for Advanced Process Decision-making (CAPD) at Carnegie Mellon University.

Aug 04

Prototyping generative approaches with Claude-Light

A learning tool built by John Kitchin helps researchers use generative models and autonomous labs to reshape traditional approaches to research.

Jul 30

Learning in the classroom becomes learning in the community

Chemical engineering students and faculty lead outreach activities via campus organizations, connecting their excitement for STEM to local and global communities.

Jul 25

Alum spotlight: Kristen Schell

To help empower the renewable energy transition, Kristen Schell (’07) is taking advantage of her interdisciplinary expertise in engineering to develop uncertainty-informed climate models.

Jul 21

Maximizing circularity in plastics supply chains

Ana Inés Torres develops frameworks for designing circular economy networks to achieve sustainability goals. The research can help leaders in industry and government make better decisions.

Jul 16

2025 Dean’s Early Career Fellows announced Opens in new window

The College of Engineering congratulates Sang Chalacheva, Vanessa Chen, Amanda Krause, and Ana Ines Torres, who received this year’s Dean’s Early Career Fellowships awards.

Jul 07

Machine learning model predicts magnetic properties of materials

With state-of-the-art prediction accuracy and data efficiency, a new model makes it more feasible to design magnetic materials and understand the effects of magnetism in catalysis.

Jun 27

Modifying red blood cells for safe and effective drug delivery Opens in new window

A Carnegie Mellon University-led team is receiving $5.4 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop technologies for transporting drug molecules in red blood cells.

Jun 24

A roadmap for large language models in chemical research Opens in new window

In a Q&A, Gabe Gomes discusses the potential to combine human creativity with machine capability, transforming chemical research.

Jun 20

A glowing biosensor for high-throughput drug screening Opens in new window

Researchers develop a bioluminescent sensor to test protein activation, speeding up a lengthy step in drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease.

Jun 13

PURRcision: Pulse oximeters for Frankie’s Friends Opens in new window

Engineering students get real experience solving problems for local companies and non-profits in the course Foundation of BME Design.

Jun 11

Student spotlight: Brian McKenzie

With his training in applied mathematics, Brian McKenzie models phenomena spanning fluid mechanics and colloid science.

Jun 04

Alum spotlight: Vikas Goel

Whether in the oil and gas industry or at one of the largest e-commerce marketplaces in India, Vikas Goel (‘05) applies data science and AI to make better decisions under uncertainty.

Jun 03

Impact CMU features engineering projects with social impact Opens in new window

Impact CMU featured student-led projects with social impact from across the university, including many from the College of Engineering. Projects included AI solutions and volunteering opportunities.

May 29

Enhancing molecular machine learning with quantum-chemical insight

A new model from Gabe Gomes improves molecular representations and enables rapid generation of new quantum-informed graphs. It may help chemists unlock previously inaccessible chemical insight.

May 27

Laird awarded Swearingen Professorship

The College of Engineering has awarded the John E. Swearingen Professorship of Chemical Engineering to Carl Laird.

May 23

Neighborly reactions Opens in new window

Undergraduates applied chemical reaction engineering principles to model the water reuse systems at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

May 21

Presidential and graduate fellowships announced for 2024-2025 Opens in new window

College of Engineering students have been awarded fellowships for the 2024-2025 academic year.

May 19

Gordon and Narra awarded NSF CAREER awards Opens in new window

Hamish Gordon and Sneha Prabha Narra were awarded the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development award this year by the NSF.

May 15

Carnegie Mellon University announced as third MDS-Rely site

Led by John Kitchin, the CMU team brings expertise at the intersection of data science and artificial intelligence to an industry-university collaboration that is advancing materials development.

May 13

Optimizing the recovery of rare earth elements

In response to increasing demand for rare earth elements, Ana Torres is modeling rare earth recovery systems to design processes that will be environmentally friendly and economically competitive.

May 06

First-year alums look back

Nine alums on new paths in industry and research reflect on their first year after graduation and share advice for new graduates.

Apr 29

Student spotlight: Katie Monahan

While studying abroad at Imperial College London, Katie Monahan joined a rugby team and got hands-on experience working in a carbon capture pilot plant.

Apr 21

SURF student takes on complex biomedical challenges

Undergraduate Cindy Jiang’s method to detect a biomarker in blood samples may lead to earlier diagnosis for pancreatic cancer.

Apr 15

CMU doctoral researchers connect beyond disciplines in 3MT Championship Opens in new window

Three College of Engineering graduate students placed in this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition.

Apr 14

Circular economy project brings seniors full circle

Chemical engineering seniors create a conceptual design and economic evaluation for a process to chemically recycle plastic.

Apr 07

Alum spotlight: Justin Weinberg

First as a Ph.D. student and then as a startup CEO, Justin Weinberg (‘17) works to solve unbounded problems.

Apr 03

From exploration to innovation: The impact of SURF Grants

Undergraduate Irene Cui is developing sustainable alternatives to the traditional plastics used widely in products that pose significant environmental challenges.

Mar 31

Scott Institute announces 2025 seed grant winners

This year’s seed awards will help grow research in clean hydrogen production, AI hardware efficiency, and decarbonizing transportation.

Mar 27

Student spotlight: Dallan Schoenberger

To prepare for a career in experimental research, master’s student Dallan Schoenberger is leveling up his chemistry degree with computational skills.

Mar 24

Engineering on the rise Opens in new window

Seven College of Engineering alumni are part of this year’s group of Tartans on the Rise.

Mar 24

Kitchin awarded Swearingen Professorship

The College of Engineering has awarded the John E. Swearingen Professorship of Chemical Engineering to John Kitchin.

Mar 19

Student spotlight: Keenan Norton

Undergraduate student Keenan Norton brings together three majors to inform his research on water quality and access in Latin America.

Mar 13

Student spotlight: Abby Umscheid

Supported by friends from across the university, undergraduate Abby Umscheid learned the systems perspective and the coding skills she needed to work at Westinghouse Electric Company.

Mar 04

A nanosnag with a big effect

A new method of virus detection from the Schneider Lab is poised to improve quality control in vaccine manufacturing.

Feb 26

Student spotlight: Savi Thompson

In her chemical engineering courses, undergraduate Savi Thompson is learning to understand large-scale processes with an approach she can also apply to quantum systems.

Feb 20

New tool brings vector search to the scientific literature

John Kitchin created litdb, a Python package that helps researchers curate and use their own literature database.

Feb 19

CMU Rales Fellows Harness Unique Perspectives To Drive Innovation

Chemical engineering Ph.D. student Abraham Polanco is part of the inaugural cohort of CMU Rales Fellows.

Feb 14

Student, scholar, teacher, researcher

As a Fifth Year Scholar, Gabe Mendez-Sanders (‘24) is preparing for a career in engineering education research.

Feb 10

Lifting the fog on air pollution-weather interactions

The Gordon Group uses case studies from Delhi and Paris to realistically simulate fog droplet concentrations in a weather forecasting model.

Feb 06

Student spotlight: Megan Walsh

Through her research with a large pharmaceutical company and her internship in the hospitality and decarbonization sector, Ph.D. student Megan Walsh is working to make processes more efficient.

Jan 31

Alum spotlight: Stephanie Butler Velegol

A pioneer of flipping the classroom, Stephanie Butler Velegol (‘00) has dedicated her career to training chemical engineering students how to think.

Jan 28

Instrument teaches skills for automated experimentation

John Kitchin built Claude-Light to teach students and researchers how to control a remote instrument and how to analyze the data that comes from it.

Jan 21

Student spotlight: Ali Asger

Ph.D. student mentors welcomed Ali Asger to the department. He’s now become a mentor so that students from a variety of backgrounds have the opportunity to join him.

Jan 16

Studying the chemistry of cloud formation at CERN

Neil Donahue is interested in the way that organic compounds participate in making the molecular clusters that grow into atmospheric particles.

Jan 10

Student spotlight: Teresa Myrthil

Through the National Society of Black Engineers, undergraduate Teresa Myrthil has found research and internships that allow her to balance her technical skills with social sciences and psychology.

Jan 06

Carl Laird named head of Chemical Engineering Opens in new window

Carl Laird has been selected to be the next head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering.

Jan 03

Probing non-equilibrium patterns in active complex fluids

Researchers are advancing the understanding of how non-reciprocal systems self-organize into predictable patterns without external forces like magnetic or electrical fields.

Media Mentions

Alumni earn Rising Star Professorships

Two ChemE alumni from the Ph.D. program's class of 2021 have been recognized with Rising Star Professorships at Purdue University. Can Li develops optimization and machine learning methods for applications in energy, chemical and biological systems. David Bernal Neira applies mathematical and computational methods to large-scale optimization problems in process systems and energy engineering. Both are assistant professors in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue.

Engineering faculty awarded for academic and research achievements

The 2026 Engineering faculty award winners have been selected by the Engineering Faculty Awards and Recognition Committee for their exceptional achievements in academics and research. Award winners include Katherine Flanigan, Tzahi Cohen-Karni, Peter Adams, Noelia Grande Gutiérrez, Patrick Tague, Valerie Karplus, Chris Pistorius, Kaushik Dayal, Kathryn Whitehead, and Keith Cook.

Surprenant earns ACS Leadership in Mentoring Award

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has honored Ph.D. student Sunny Surprenant with its Leadership in Mentoring Award, which recognizes outstanding efforts and impact in research and safety mentoring. Surprenant is part of Assistant Professor Daphne Chan's research group.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Gordon explains how climate change is increasing rainfall

ChemE’s Hamish Gordon was quoted in a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article on how climate change is increasing rainfall in the Pittsburgh region.

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