Our Biological and Pharmaceutical faculty apply the principles of engineering design, synthesis and analysis to biological systems and biomedical technologies. The department's research involves a multidisciplinary approach to solve problems at the interface of the physical sciences, life sciences, and engineering, particularly in the areas of biocatalysis, drug delivery, medical devices, and tissue engineering. 

Researchers are working to develop safe delivery systems that target drugs precisely in the human body and avoid premature metabolization or elimination. New materials are being developed that can prevent or eliminate infections on medical implants, interact with the human body to perform certain functions while maintaining compatibility

Faculty

Jennifer Fiegel, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Current Research

Treatments for persistent bacterial infections in the lungs; new tools to evaluate biointeractions; aerosol interactions with lung fluids; dry powder and aerosol formulations to treat skin infections.

Jennifer Fiegel
C. Allan Guymon, Sharon K. Tinker Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Current Research

Photopolymerization with emphasis on role that polymerization reactions play on properties and structures of polymers. Projects involve lyotropic liquid crystals, polymerizable surfactants, and nanostructured materials based on lyotropic liquid crystals.

C. Allan Guymon
David Murhammer, Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Current Research

Oxidative stress in baculovirus-infected insect cell culture, use of phage to control bacterial infections, and chemical process safety.

David W. Murhammer
Eric Nuxoll, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Current Research

Projects include thermal treatment of medical implant infections, pulsatile drug delivery, and interfacing devices with the bloodstream.

Eric Nuxoll
Aliasger Salem, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Current Research

Focuses on the application of nanotechnology to enhancing cancer vaccine efficacy and to the development of scaffolds for regenerative medicine.

Aliasger Salem
Edward Sander, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Current Research

Wound healing, mechanobiology, multiscale biomechanics and modeling.

Edward Sander

Research Centers and Facilities