Research
Research activities in the department vary widely, covering most pressing areas in the chemical engineering field today.
News
Pettit Named AIChE-CF Engineer of the Year
Dr. Sandy Pettit, associate dean for student success, was named Engineer of the Year at the 49th annual International Phosphate Fertilizer & Sulfuric Acid Technology Conference. Hosted by the Central...
Pu, Wang and Zhao Recognized with NSF CAREER Awards
Three Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering faculty recently received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, one of the most prestigious awards for early-career faculty. The NSF CAREER Award honors...
Styslinger College of Engineering Advances in U.S. News and World Report Graduate School Rankings
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Lee J. Styslinger Jr. College of Engineering has advanced in the 2026 U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Engineering Schools Rankings, rising...
RESEARCH AREAS
Research efforts are concentrated in biotechnology; computational; polymers and soft materials; electronic materials and devices; and energy and the environment.
- “Green” Chemistry
- 3‐D Printing
- Advanced Materials
- Advanced Polymers and Materials
- Algae Cultivation and Algal Biomass Utilization
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates
- Assembly of Nanomaterials
- Bio/Nanosensors
- Biochemical Engineering for Production of Chemicals
- Biocompatibility and toxicology of nanoparticles
- Bioengineering
- Biomaterials
- Block Copolymers
- Catalysis
- Cell‐Material Interactions
- CO2 Capture Processes
- Computational Screening of CO2 Solvents
- Conjugated Polymers
- Controlled Synthesis
- Drug Delivery
- Drug Discovery
- Drug Resistance
- Electrochemical Engineering
- Electrochemical Engineering for Nanomaterials
- Environmental Catalysis Modeling
- Environmental Remediation
- Fuels
- Functional Material Interfaces for Soft Robotics
- Functionalized Materials for Separation and Catalysis
- Functionalized Membranes for Water Purification
- Green Cosmetics
- High Temperature Coatings
- In‐situ IR Spectroscopy of Thin Film Deposition
- Infrared Spectroscopy
- Interfacial Phenomena
- Intravaginal Rings for (Trans)mucosal Delivery of Drugs
- Ionic Liquids
- Magnetic Hyperthermia
- Manufacturing Cost Modeling
- Materials Characterization
- Mechanical Behavior
- Medical and Health Properties of Berries and Berry Extracts
- Membrane Fouling
- Metabolic Engineering
- Metals
- Microbicides
- Microchannel Devices
- Molecular Sieves
- Mucoadhesive Gels
- Nanodevices
- Nanofibers
- Nanomaterials
- Nanostructures
- Nanotherapeutics
- Natural Products
- Oncology
- Oxidation
- Pharmaceuticals
- Photobioreactor Design
- Polymer Templating
- Polymers
- Process Control
- Process Intensification
- Reaction Engineering
- Sensing
- Simulations of Nanomaterials
- Single-use Bioprocessing Films
- Soil Remediation
- Stretchable Electronics
- Surface Chemistry
- Surface Engineering
- Surface Science
- Surface/Interfacial Engineering
- Synthesis and Characterization of Inorganic Solids
- Synthetic Biology
- Thermodynamics
- Thin-Films
- Tissue Engineering
- Toxicological Evaluation of Novel Materials
- Translational Medicine
- Transport Phenomena in Polymeric Systems
- Tumor Microenvironment
- Vaccines
- Vibrational Spectroscopy
- Water
- Water Treatment
- Wearable Electronics
Laboratories
One of the biggest assets to the department is the 25-foot-tall distillation column, located in the high-bay area of Bevill.
One of only a few of its kind, this $105,000 glass tower was donated by alumnus Ralph Lewis, vice president of sales of Texaco, and the Texaco Corp. Students gain first-hand experience with its controls, design and operation. In the 1,200-square-foot high-bay area, students work with a gas chromatograph, reaction vessels, a computer-controlled batch still interfaced to a Camile data acquisition and control system, and a steady-state glass still. Students spend a good portion of their summer Operations Laboratory performing experiments with the distillation column.
SEMINARS
Fall 2026 Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering Seminar Series
Time: 11:00 AM to 11:50 AM, Thursdays, Central Time
Location: SERC 1059
Contact: H. Hohyun Sun; hsun36@ua.edu ChBE office: (205) 348-9140
| Date | Title, Speaker | University/Institute |
|---|---|---|
| September 03 | Collective Dynamics of Magnetically-Driven Colloids by Dr. Sibani Lisa Biswal | Rice University |
| September 10 | Network phases in block polymers by Dr. Kevin Dorfman | University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
| September 17 | Research Seminar by Dr. Enoch Nagelli | United States Military Academy |
| September 24 | Research Seminar by Dr. Rajib Saha | University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
| October 01 | Research Seminar by Dr. James (Jim) De Yoreo | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory / University of Washington |
| October 08 | Research Seminar by Dr. Michael Gordon | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| October 15 | Research Seminar by Dr. Ryan Hayward | University of Colorado Boulder |
| November 05 | Research Seminar by Dr. Seong Kim | Penn State University |
| November 19 | Research Seminar by Dr. Richard Dickinson | University of Florida |
| December 03 | Research Seminar by Dr. Brian F. Pfleger | University of Wisconsin–Madison |