Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Chowdhury computational research crosses new frontiers in protein structure study
Research led by Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering assistant professor Ratul Chowdhury has landed firmly on the cutting edge of new computational technology in protein research – and on the cover of a recent issue of Nature Biotechnology, one of the highest ranked journals in this field. Read More

January 30, 2023
Mars Wrigley Confections donates more than $750k worth of lab equipment to ISU
The spirit of giving isn’t just limited to the Christmas holiday season! That’s what Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) Professor of Practice John Kaiser has experienced recently with the help of generous benefactors at his former employer, Mars Wrigley Confections. They've supplied more than $750,000 worth of lab equipment to the department. Read More

January 30, 2023
George Burnet, one of CBE’s most influential figures, passes away
A pillar in the history of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has passed away. George Burnet V, who progressed from student to faculty member to department chair over a span of more than 60 years, died January 13 at the age of 98. Read More

January 18, 2023
CBE alumnus, Hall of Fame member G. Paul Wilhite passes away
Paul Wilhite, a 1959 B.S. graduate of Iowa State’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and a member of the department’s Hall of Fame, has passed away. Read More

December 20, 2022
Apply now for CBE’s 2023 BioMaP undergrad research program
The application period for the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering’s 2023 BioMaP REU program is now open. The program will be held from May 30 – August 4. Read More

December 14, 2022
CBE’s AIChE student chapter proudly represents ISU at national conference in Phoenix
The Department of Chemical Engineering’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter recently returned from the organization’s Annual Student Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Twenty ISU student members took part in the event. Read More

November 30, 2022
Tessonnier-led research bridges gap for more efficient conversions of lignin for cleaner and greener chemicals
Effective conversion of lignin to increase the production of bio-oil and reduce a solid by-product called “char” has been addressed in Iowa State University engineering research and published in Energy & Environmental Science. Read More

November 21, 2022
CBE’s Shanks named Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Fellow
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering faculty member Brent Shanks has been named an American Chemical Society (ACS) Industrial & Engineering Chemistry (I&EC) Fellow for the Class of 2023. Read More

November 21, 2022
Help uphold AIChE student chapter’s tradition of excellence! FundISU page is now available
Twenty Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering undergraduates have made the trip to Phoenix for the AIChE Annual Student Conference. While the experience is definitely worth the trip, it is costly. Prior to departing, the chapter’s faculty advisor Dr. Stephanie Loveland estimated more than $10,000 had been spent on air and hotel reservations and conference registration fees alone. The chapter has established a FundISU page through the Iowa State University Foundation to allow contributions that will help defray some of these costs. Contributions can be made through December 9. Read More

November 14, 2022
Four graduate students top CBE’s Perfect Pitch research competition
The comment, “So, tell me about your research!” will be easier to field for CBE’s graduate students who took part in this year’s Perfect Pitch competition. The students once again faced a 90-second time limit (with the aid of one PowerPoint slide) in presenting an “elevator speech” of what their research is all about. Read More

October 19, 2022
Testing hybrid, soft/hard nanocarriers to deliver drugs to the brain
Rizia Bardhan made a fist with one hand then covered it with her other hand, like a baseball player catching a ball in the web of a fielder’s glove. The fist represents a special nanocarrier filled with medicine, said the Iowa State University associate professor of chemical and biological engineering. The other hand represents a cell working out whether to catch that nanoparticle then take it, drugs and all, across its protective membrane into its interior. Read More

September 22, 2022
Chowdhury, Kozminsky, Wang join CBE faculty in fall semester
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering welcomes three new faculty members: Ratul Chowdhury, Molly Kozminsky and Jing Wang, who are beginning their appointments in the fall 2022 semester. All will be tenure-track assistant professors. Read More

August 2, 2022
CBE research group’s article featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society
The work being done by the research groups of Chemical and Biological Engineering professors Eric Cochran, Brent Shanks, and Jean-Philippe Tessonnier is making headlines. The article “ Bioenabled Platform to Access Polyamides with Built-In Target Properties,” which is a result of their research, has been featured on the June cover of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). Read More

July 26, 2022
Expanded BioMaP undergrad research program underway with 18 students
Students from Iowa State University and around the nation are settling in for a summer of hands-on research work with ISU’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) with the BioMaP Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates. Read More

June 7, 2022
Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award for CBE’s Fox
Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and Hershel B. Whitney Professor, Global Initiatives Rodney Fox has been selected for the 2022-23 Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award. Read More

May 18, 2022