The 2018 Catalyst

CATALYST FALL 2018

HONORING EXCELLENCE IN 2018

GOYAL NAMED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING FURLANI INDUCTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS RECORD-BREAKING FACULTY AWARDS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS— AND THE RESEARCH BEHIND IT ALL

IN MEMORIAM, PROFESSOR EDWARD FURLANI 1952–2018

SECTION TITLE?

CHAIR’S WELCOME I’m pleased to help to bring you the latest

As you read these pages and learn more

issue of The Catalyst, which is my first

about all the exciting recent activities

as department chair. Stelios Andreadis completed six years as chair in June, having shepherded the department through a period

and achievements of our faculty, students, and alumni, I invite you to consider how you might engage with our department in new

of rapid growth and great achievement. The fruits

ways, whether by recruiting a co-op student, advising

of his hard work are reflected, in part, in the numerous

us on developments in your field, sharing good news

faculty, student, and alumni successes described

from your career and personal life, or just stopping in

in these pages. I am humbled to be entrusted

to see how the place has changed!

with continuing his legacy, and that of our previous chairs Carl Lund and David Kofke, and am very lucky to have all three of these former chairs in the department and deeply committed to its continued success.

My term as chair began on a tragic note, as our colleague Ed Furlani passed away unexpectedly in July.

Ed was emblematic of many of the features that make our department an exceptional place. He recognized that while research funding, results, and publications are important, our greatest impacts are achieved through our students and the alumni they become.

He took extraordinary care in nurturing his graduate students’ growth as researchers and as people, and was always exceedingly proud of his students’ accomplishments. He worked hard and advanced his field, while always being willing to support the department wherever he was needed, and while treating his students and colleagues with great kindness and respect. He will be deeply missed by all of us in CBE.

2 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Mark T. Swihart Chair, UB Distinguished Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

CHAIR’S FAREWELL We started our planning of the latest issue

It has been amazing to see the enthusiasm

of The Catalyst during the last weeks of

and success of our students whose

my second and last term as UB CBE chair. It

achievements are described in the pages

has been an honor to lead this department at a time of extraordinary growth and achievements

that follow. I was so heartened to see the response of so many of you, our alumni to our

by our students and faculty. We accomplished many

annual newsletters, monthly e-bulletins, and news

things in the past six years, chiefly as a result of the

appearing on our website. Your enthusiastic response to

hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and

the progress of your alma mater and your commitment

faculty. We almost doubled the size of our department

to her success have been inspiring for our faculty and

adding 11 stellar faculty members to our ranks, enriching

encouraging for our students, who are excited for

our collective expertise in the areas of nanomaterials,

the opportunities to interact with you and the prospect

energy, bioengineering, and computational sciences.

of becoming part of this successful and caring

Our investment in human capital and instrumentation

community of UB CBE alumni.

facilities has generated an unprecedented level of collaborative research activities and enthusiasm that will undoubtedly define the course of our department in the next several years.

In closing, it has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to lead this historic department and getting to know many of you on a personal basis.

Your contributions in time and treasure are absolutely

We made significant changes to our graduate program

necessary for the continued success of our students

including expanding our core courses, generating

and faculty and I encourage you to continue to engage

two new certificate programs, expanding our

with our department and our new chair, Mark Swihart,

recruitment efforts to attract the best PhD students,

who is looking forward to getting to know and

and growing our MS program both in terms of options

work with you. A long-standing member of UB CBE,

(new course-based MS) and number of students.

Mark is deeply committed to the success of the

Our undergraduate program was enriched with new

department. I am confident that UB CBE will continue

summer courses and a new co-op program aiming

to thrive and reach new levels of accomplishment

to provide exciting new experiential learning

and recognition under his leadership.

opportunities and professional contacts for our students. We also made it a top priority to promote

Go Blue!

the excellent work of our students and faculty to our peers, alumni, and local community.

Stelios Andreadis Former Chair, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 3

CONTENTS Chair Letters....................................................................................2

Mark Swihart Union of Concerned Scientists..........................13

Contents & Stats.............................................................................4

Amit Goyal Elected to National Academy of Engineering.....14

Faculty Achievements...................................................................5

Undergraduate Excellence..........................................................16

In Memoriam, Ed Furlani..............................................................7

Graduate Excellence ....................................................................19

Sriram Neelamegham Schoellkopf Award..............................8

Alumni Excellence..........................................................................24

Johannes Hachmann NSF Career Award

Connect............................................................................................27

& Meyerson Award .......................................................................9

Alumni Spotlight: Marty Sanborn..............................................28

Blaine Pfeifer Elected AIMBE Fellow.........................................10 Stelios Andreadis SUNY Distinguished Professor...................11 Rudi Gunawan Research.............................................................12

Award funding

$8.1 million

115

Publications in 2017

166 334

GRADUATE STUDENTS

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

4 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 11 NEW FACULTY

IN 5 YEARS

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS AMIT GOYAL was elected to the

BLAINE PFEIFER was elected

National Academy of Engineering.

a Fellow of the American Institute

Goyal is an internationally recognized

of Medical and Biological Engineering

materials scientist, Empire Innovation

(AIMBE) for his outstanding contributions

Professor in the Department of

to the fields of complex natural product

Chemical and Biological Engineering,

biosynthesis and vaccine delivery design

and Director of the University

towards infectious disease applications.

at Buffalo’s RENEW Institute.

Read more on page 10.

Read more on page 14.

ED FURLANI was named a Fellow

UB CBE Welcomes RUDIYANTO GUNAWAN, who has joined the UB CBE faculty as associate

of the National Academy of Inventors

professor effective fall 2018. He is an

for his pioneering work in microfluidics,

internationally recognized expert in

inkjet systems, and optoelectronics.

computational systems biology and bioinformatics. He received his PhD

A retrospective of Professor Furlani’s

in Chemical Engineering from

research and achievements can be

the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2003. After

read on page 7.

a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California Santa Barbara (2003-2006), he has been leading the Chemical and Biological Systems Engineering Laboratory

STELIOS ANDREADIS was promoted to SUNY Distinguished Professor, recognizing his many contributions to UB, SUNY, and CBE. Read more on page 11.

(CABSEL); formerly at the National University of Singapore (2006–2011) and currently at ETH Zurich (2011–2018). His research develops sophisticated computational methods for the extraction of mechanistic and actionable insights from biological data. Current research projects in his laboratory focus on network-based analysis of cellular and bioprocess data with specific applications in therapeutic monoclonal antibody biomanufacturing, stem cell differentiation, and human aging. “Rudi is a rising star in the field of systems

SRIRAM NEELAMEGHAM received the 2018 Jacob F. Schoellkopf Medal in recognition of his work in the areas of vascular bioengineering and glycoengineering.

Read more on page 8.

biology who will have an immediate impact on CBE and UB” said CBE Chair Mark Swihart. “Rudi’s career trajectory provides a fine example of how undergraduate and graduate training in chemical engineering can be the basis for a cutting-edge research career beyond the bounds of conventional chemical engineering.”

Read more on page 12.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 5

FACULTY ACHIEVEMENTS GANG WU has been promoted to the

CARL LUND was selected

rank of associate professor with tenure.

for the 2018 Outstanding Teacher

His research focuses on electrochemical

Award from the St. Lawrence

energy and environmental applications

Section of the American Society

with an emphasis on the development

for Engineering Education.

of functional materials for catalysts and energy storage. He has co-authored more than ninety publications in these

areas since joining UB.

NATESH PARASHURAMA has received the 2017 Margulis Award

TAMARA KOFKE has been

from the Radiological Society of

promoted to teaching associate

North America for his contributions

professor for her long-term

“Multimodality Molecular Imaging of

and exemplary contributions to

Cardiac Cell Transplantation: Part I.

the teaching and service missions

Reporter Gene Design, Characterization,

of UB CBE's undergraduate

and Optical in Vivo Imaging of Bone

student program.

Marrow Stromal Cells after Myocardial Infarction & Part II. In Vivo Imaging of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in Swine

JOHANNES HACHMANN

with PET/CT and MR Imaging”.

won an NSF CAREER award for his project entitled “Building an Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for the Data-

HAIQING LIN has been promoted

Driven Design of Chemical Systems

to the rank of associate professor with

and the Exploration of Chemical Space”.

tenure. His current research is focused

Hachmann also received the President

on advanced membranes for gas

Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award

separation and water purification.

for Distinguished Undergraduate

He was a recipient of an NSF CAREER

Teaching and Mentoring, UB’s highest

award in 2016, and the Early Career

award for undergraduate teaching and mentoring.

Read more on page 9.

6 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Researcher of the Year in the School of

Engineering and Applied Sciences

(SEAS) at UB in 2016.

HONORING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF

ED FURLANI

“Ed’s passing is a great loss to our department, the engineering school, and the university, not only due to his tremendous contributions as a scholar, teacher, mentor, and inventor, but because he was a friend to us all, the very best of colleagues, and a genuinely decent human being who cared deeply about his students and took great pride in their accomplishments.” Mark Swihart, UB Distinguished Professor and Chair

Edward P. Furlani, UB engineering professor and fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, whose pioneering work in microfluidics, inkjet systems, magnetic devices, optoelectronics, and other fields is recognized worldwide, was 65 when he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on July 3. A UB faculty member since 2011, Fig.1 Furlani held appointments in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering.

When Furlani was elected last year as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the academy cited him for a “highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.”

He received the Prolific Inventor Award (2008) from the Society for Imaging Science and Technology, and Kodak’s Chief Technology Officer Century Award (2001) in recognition of his innovative contributions.

Furlani served as an advisory board member for several companies, as a symposium organizer and steering committee member for international conferences, on editorial boards and as a reviewer for numerous journals, and on national and international scientific review panels.

Fig.2 Fig.1: Ed Furlani at the National Academy of Inventors Induction Ceremony with Paul R. Sanberg, founder and president and Drew Hirshfeld, commissioner for patents for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Fig.3

The peer-nominated honor is the highest professional distinction accorded to academic researchers by the academy.

The list of NAI fellows includes senior leaders of research universities and research institutes, Nobel laureates, and recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and the U.S. National Medal of Science.

At UB, Furlani established a research program that developed computational methods and models of materials and devices with features and functionality designed at the nano-to micro-scale. His current projects spanned applications of microfluidics, additive manufacturing, bio-sensing, energy storage, photonics, and magnetic particles. His research group included 13 PhD and 21 Master’s students over the course of his time at the university.

Prior to joining UB, he was a principal scientist at Eastman Kodak Company, where he was awarded 152 U.S. patents and 40 foreign patents over a 27-year career, including contributions to the fields of applied magnetics, microsystems technology, optoelectronics, and inkjet systems, notably Kodak’s innovative ultra-high speed STREAM continuous inkjet printing technology.

Fig.2: Furlani in the lab with graduate students Michael Tong, Xiaozheng Xue, Viktor Sukhotskiy, and Iaonnis Karampelas Fig.3: Ed and his spouse Karen at the NAI Induction Ceremony

His research contributions included more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, 90 publications in conference proceedings, a soleauthored textbook, and numerous book chapters and invited conference presentations.

Furlani was a graduate of UB, earning a PhD in theoretical physics, a master’s degree in physics and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

“Edward Furlani was more than an academic advisor to me and to his students. He was a father-like figure that cared for everyone’s success not only in academia but life in general.

For me, it was a privilege to have interacted with him and to have been part of his research group. The best way to honor his memory would be for all of us to continue to be successful in life, academically prolific and, most of all, happy.”

Ioannis (Yanni) Karampelas, PhD 2016

“Ed truly enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with his colleagues at UB, and treasured the vast knowledge and intellect of fellow faculty throughout SEAS. He felt fortunate to work with so many talented students, and took great pride in their accomplishments. UB is a tremendous institution, built on the foundation of wonderful faculty, staff, and students.

Ed’s legacy at UB is reflected in all of you. Please honor his memory by continuing the great work that you do!”

Karen Furlani Catalyst Fall 2018 | 7

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

SRIRAM NEELAMEGHAM RECEIVES SCHOELLKOPF AWARD Professor Sriram Neelamegham was awarded the Schoellkopf Medal in September 2018 by the Western New York Section of the American Chemical Society. This is the oldest ACS local section award in the nation, and is named in honor of chemical industry entrepreneur Jacob F. Schoellkopf. This year’s award recognizes Neelamegham’s research contributions to diverse areas related to the systems level analysis of cellular glycosylation, inhibition studies of leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion, and studies of sheardependent protein structure and function. He is also being recognized for his strong record in student mentorship and professional leadership.

The Neelamegham laboratory studies chemical transport and reaction kinetics in complex biological systems. Many of their current projects focus on the impact of carbohydrates or glycans expressed on cell surface proteins and blood proteins in regulating normal human physiology and pathophysiology. Such carbohydrate biosynthesis takes place in an assembly line-like manner, through the sequential participation of ~200 Golgi-resident enzymes called ‘glycosyltransferases’. Understanding of how these carbohydrate structures are formed is incomplete, and the Neelamegham laboratory applies high-throughput experiments and mathematical modeling to fill gaps in knowledge in this important field. Their ultimate goal is to translate basic science findings for human medical

8 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

benefit by: i. developing small molecule antagonists (drugs) that target glycosylation and prevent inappropriate leukocyte adhesion at sites of inflammation; ii. devising glycoengineering strategies to target stem cells to sites where therapy is required; iii. advancing our understanding of glycan regulation during cancer; and iv. developing new glycan-engineered therapeutics to enhance the half-life and therapeutic efficacy of human blood proteins.

FRET imaging of Von Willebrand Factor distribution on a human endothelial cell (Blood Advances, 1: 2063-742017)

PHYSICS MEETS MACHINE LEARNING Assistant Professor Johannes Hachmann received a 2018 NSF CAREER award to support his research on the creation of next-generation chemistry and materials through use of big data.

To-date, the chemistry community has yet to incorporate big data as a central tool in its everyday work. Research in the Hachmann group seeks to enable and advance this emerging research paradigm. At the center of their efforts is the creation of a software ecosystem that brings together physics-based modeling, high-throughput in silico screening, and data analytics (i.e., the use of machine learning and informatics for the validation, mining, and modeling of chemical data). This cyberinfrastructure is devised to offer a comprehensive set of data science techniques and tools along with a general-purpose scope to make it as versatile and widely applicable as possible. It also emphasizes userfriendliness to make it accessible to the community at large.

It thus provides a means of large-scale exploration of chemical space and of building better understanding of the hidden mechanisms that determine the properties and behavior of complex chemical systems.

Early pioneering work employing similar ideas has already allowed scientists to predict the behavior of new breakthrough materials and compounds for pharmaceutics, electronics, batteries, and carbon-capture.

A physics-infused neural network architecture for the prediction of refractive index values of organic polymers via the Lorentz-Lorenz equation.

MEYERSON AWARD Johannes Hachmann also received the 2018 Meyerson Award for his exemplary commitment to science and engineering education and mentoring of students both in the classroom and in his research group. The President Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring was established through a generous gift by the late UB President Emeritus Martin Meyerson and his wife, Margy Ellen, to recognize exceptional teaching and mentoring at the university and is the highest university award given specifically for undergraduate mentoring. Since joining UB, Assistant Professor Hachmann has consistently received outstanding teaching evaluations, which paint a picture of a dedicated, effective, approachable, and caring teacher.

Outside the classroom, Hachmann has already provided research opportunities for 17 undergraduates, many of whom have gone on to prestigious PhD programs and received recognition such as NSF Graduate Research and DOE Mickey Leland Energy Fellowships. He has served in UB’s STEM Mentored Undergraduate Research Initiative on high-impact

experiential learning, and one of his students was highlighted at the Getting the Most from Undergraduate Researchers Forum.

Johannes Hachmann is also the initiator and organizer of the annual UB Symposium on Job and Career Perspectives for Students in the Computational Sciences, which informs and educates students who work in computational research regarding their career prospects. He is the founding faculty advisor of the Computational Science Club (CSC), which brings together students who are interested in computational studies to share their research perspectives and experiences, organize seminars/workshops, and promote collaborations. He also helped establish UB’s Engineers Without Borders Buffalo Chapter (EWB-UB), and the project team just returned from their first planning and assessment trip to Nicaragua. Finally, Johannes has been an active supporter and mentor of the local AIChE student chapter and their activities.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 9

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

NSF AWARD WINNER JOHANNES HACHMANN:

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

BLAINE PFEIFER ELECTED AIMBE FELLOW Professor Blaine Pfeifer was recently named an AIMBE Fellow for his outstanding contributions to the fields of complex natural product biosynthesis and vaccine delivery design towards infectious disease applications The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellows “represent the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community.” Dr. Pfeifer’s work has produced high visibility publications in Science, PNAS, and Science Advances, reporting breakthrough advances in new antibiotic compounds to combat bacterial drug resistance and broad coverage vaccines to protect against established and emerging bacterial pathogens. Professor Pfeifer’s natural product work features heterologous biosynthesis, i.e. engineered production using a new host system that does not naturally produce the desired product. This effort includes a separate but related research direction on the production and use of a metal-binding natural compound that can remove toxic heavy metals and valuable precious metals from water streams. His research themes are applied in nature and have spawned a start-up company, Abcombi

The recognition for Dr. Pfeifer's AIMBE fellow election took place at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. on April 9.

The AIMBE meeting included a day-long symposium dedicated to engineering in medicine and a separate opportunity for new AIMBE fellows to meet with congressional representatives. Advocacy to state and federal policy makers in support of science is a key component of the honorary organization’s mission.

From left: Gilda Barabino, AIMBE President, Blaine Pfeifer, and Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, College of Fellows Chair for AIMBE.

Biosciences, formed and led by Dr. Charles Jones, who was one of Dr. Pfeifer’s first PhD students at UB. Current work in the Pfeifer lab is focused on new methods to generate complex natural products for both health-related and environmental applications. Here, goals include finding new antibiotics that show broad activity against a range of pathogenic bacteria, such as designer analogs of erythromycin and additional small molecules with a natural propensity to bind metals, which the Pfeifer group has repurposed for the remediation of contaminated water streams. The group continues to advance their research on vaccine design with an expanded emphasis that includes both infectious diseases (like pneumococcal disease) and cancer. Translational elements of the vaccine research are being pursued in collaboration with Abcombi Biosciences and new collaborators at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Representative depiction of natural product biosynthesis using a heterologous production host platform

10 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Stelios Andreadis is an

More recently, his laboratory discovered that human epidermis

internationally recognized

is a source of neural crest (NC) stem cells, which can be

leader in the field of

coaxed to differentiate into functional neurons, Schwann cells,

stem cell engineering,

melanocytes, osteocytes, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and

especially cardiovascular

smooth muscle cells, in vitro and in vivo, in lineage tracing

tissue engineering. His

experiments in chick embryos. Given the accessibility of human

laboratory developed

skin, keratinocyte-derived NC may provide a valuable source

small-diameter vascular

of multipotent stem cells for treatment of myelopathies and

grafts using human stem

other debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. They could also

cells, as well as cell-free,

be used to study diseases of the central or peripheral nervous

off-the-shelf grafts based

system e.g. neurocristopathies, similar to human induced

on biomolecule-decorated

pluripotent stem cells, but without the need for reprogramming

biomaterials. Tissue-

to the pluripotent state.

engineered vessels were implanted successfully into the arterial system of a sheep model, where they remained intact and demonstrated functional remodeling with development of arterial mechanical

A UB CBE faculty member since 1998, Andreadis has an exemplary record of continuous, peer-reviewed funding, having garnered more than $20 million in research support from public and private sources.

properties and vascular contractile function. Notably, these

He also has received numerous accolades, including being

bioengineered grafts were able to grow with the size of

named a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)

the animal, thereby demonstrating the potential to be used for

and the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical

treatment of cardiovascular disease for pediatric patients,

and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Additionally, he received a

as well as adults.

SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities

He also discovered that aging of stem cells such as mesenchymal and skeletal muscle stem cells could be reversed

in 2014, the NSF CAREER Award in 2000 and the Whitaker Foundation Young Investigator Award in 1999.

using a single pluripotency factor, a discovery with significant implications in the field of aging and for the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine.

From left to right, Keratinocyte-derived neural crest stem cells turning into neurons as shown by typical neuronal morphology.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 11

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

STELIOS ANDREADIS PROMOTED TO SUNY DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

WELCOME RUDI GUNAWAN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

HIGH THROUGHPUT TECHNOLOGIES FUELING A DATA REVOLUTION IN LIFE SCIENCES Advances in high-throughput technologies for

and the dynamic alterations in cellular pathways

interrogating cells have fueled a data revolution in

during aging. Insights into cell differentiation

life sciences that promises to transform healthcare,

and aging from these studies have broad

biomedicine and biotechnology. Among the

impacts—from regenerative medicine and cell-

key hurdles in analyzing massive cellular datasets

based therapies of diseases to treatments

is accounting for the complex networks of

for improving human healthspan.

molecular interactions governing biological responses and functions. UB CBE will add to its bioinformatics and control portfolio through the work of Associate Professor Rudiyanto Gunawan. His research group has been combining physicochemical modeling of biological networks, advanced optimization and machine learning algorithms, and rigorous systems theory to develop powerful analytics tools for turning large-scale biological data into actionable insights and testable hypotheses.

One research focus of the group revolves around the inference of gene regulatory networks and perturbations to such networks from high-throughput gene expression profiles.

In collaboration with stem cell researchers and biogerontologists, the group has used their tools to elucidate the cellular decision-making process governing cell type determination

Reconstruction of zebrafish cell differentiation landscape during embryogenesis from single-cell gene expression profiles using CALISTA

12 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The group also focuses on model-based analysis and optimization of cell culture processes, specifically, enabling technologies for online monitoring and control in the biomanufacturing of monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs with a focus on protein glycosylation. Quantitative tools such as those developed by the group are needed to enable technologies for modernizing the biopharmaceutical industry to meet the demands of the burgeoning market for mAbs as well as those of regulatory bodies.

UB Distinguished Professor Mark

In addition to our teaching and research

Swihart was one of 21 experts convened

missions, CBE faculty, students, and alumni

on Capitol Hill on March 8, 2018, by the

are committed to engaging with our local,

Union of Concerned Scientists to identify

national, and international communities.

the most important breakthroughs

Forums like this energy storage convening

needed to scale up electricity

provide an important means of ensuring

storage, as well as ways the federal

that informed policy making occurs around

government can support innovation

scientific and technological advances,

in this strategically important industry.

like those being made in electrical energy

This expert convening, sponsored by the Bipartisan House

storage, and that our elected officials and policy makers are

Advanced Energy Storage Caucus, produced a policy brief

provided with trusted scientific and engineering perspectives

(ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2018/07/federal-

as they develop and fund policies and programs.

energy-storage-convening-summary.pdf) synthesizing the discussions, including recommendations for federal policymakers on how to best support electricity storage research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) that drives innovation, lowers electricity prices, and increases the reliability of the US electric grid.

The convened experts noted that energy storage has the potential to fundamentally transform the way we produce and use electricity, just as the refrigerator was a gamechanger for food. However, the private sector is not making the needed investments in electricity storage RD&D to achieve this transformation. Specific, strategic efforts by the federal government are essential to advance the technology and increase national energy security. Our economic and national security are dependent on a continued abundance of clean, affordable, and reliable electricity. However, the nation’s electric grid is aging, and is increasingly vulnerable to disruptions from extreme weather and cyberattacks.

A 1 MW vanadium flow battery installed in Pullman, Washington.

Advanced energy storage will play a key role in the modernization of our nation’s electricity grid. Energy storage enables the integration of renewables, improves the grid’s operating capabilities, enhances reliability, and provides backup power during emergencies.

Source: UniEnergy Technologies/Creative Commons (Wikimedia Commons)

Moreover, our electricity infrastructure is inadequate to the task of managing short-term differences between supply and demand and integrating diverse energy resources—such as wind and solar—that increase electricity resilience and lower overall costs. Energy storage is the keystone technology for increased grid security—integrating new energy resources, serving as a replacement for aging infrastructure, and providing reliable backup power during outages.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 13

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

MARK SWIHART CONTRIBUTES TO POLICY BRIEF ON ENERGY STORAGE

AWARD WINNING FACULTY

AMIT GOYAL ELECTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING Amit Goyal, an internationally recognized materials scientist, Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Director of the University at Buffalo’s RENEW Institute, has been named a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He was cited for advances in materials science and superconducting materials.

Election to the academy is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. NAE members include Nobel laureates; presidents and senior leaders of research universities; and recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and the U.S. National Medal of Science. Goyal, who was elected based on “materials science advances and contributions enabling commercialization of high-temperature superconducting materials,” arrived at UB in January 2015 as the founding director of RENEW, an interdisciplinary institute dedicated to research and education on globally pressing problems in energy, environment, and water. Goyal’s research has had a profound impact on the field of high-temperature superconductivity, both in fundamental materials science and in the transition of scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace.

In 2014, he was elected to the National Academy of Inventors.

“Dr. Goyal is an internationally recognized materials scientist and energy researcher whose leadership has placed the University at Buffalo at the forefront of the world’s efforts to find innovative solutions to some of the world’s most serious problems associated with sustainability, climate change, and natural resources. This is certainly a well-deserved honor,” said UB Provost Charles F. Zukoski.

Goyal has received numerous national and international accolades, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in the inaugural category of Energy Science and Innovation. The Energy Secretary bestows the award on behalf of the president of the United States. He was named R&D Magazine’s Innovator of the Year in 2010 and

RENEW Distinguished Lecture "Industry Re-imagined: How Can We Move to a Regenerative Society?" With Bill Ford, Jeremy Jacobs Jr., and Mark Tercek

Venu Govindaraju, Vice President for Research and Economic Development at UB, praised Goyal’s election to the academy, noting that it is among the most prestigious honors awarded to an engineer. “This is a tremendous honor both to Dr. Goyal and the University at Buffalo. The research programs that he is leading in the RENEW Institute — including efforts to reduce water and air pollution, as well as find innovative and clean ways to produce and store energy — will have a profound

received the 2012 World Technology Award in the category of

impact both locally and globally,” Govindaraju said.

“Materials.”

“Dr. Goyal’s outstanding record of interdisciplinary research and collaboration exemplifies how UB is tackling society’s toughest challenges and carrying out transformative

14 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

activities,” said Liesl Folks, dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Goyal came to UB from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he was a corporate fellow and distinguished scientist cited for pioneering research in the field of high-temperature superconductors, including fundamental materials science advances and technical innovations that enabled commercialization. Additionally, Goyal is the founder and president of TapeSolar Inc., a private-equity funded solar photovoltaics company, and TexMat, an intellectual property holding and consulting company.

Under the leadership of Provost Charles Zukoski, UB launched the Research and Education in eNergy, Environment and Water (RENEW) Institute as an ambitious, university-wide, interdisciplinary research effort to focus on complex energy, environmental, and water issues. Its over-arching goal is to advance energy, water, and environmental sustainability as the foundation for a regenerative economy. The discovery of next-generation materials and technologies for energy, environment, and water sustainability has been a primary focus of UB CBE’s collaboration with the institute, and virtually all faculty in nanoscale and computational science and engineering laboratories are collaborating on RENEW related projects.

CBE-RENEW COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS UB CBE researchers are participating in environmentally focused projects made possible

by RENEW seed funding: For more energy efficient seawater desalination and food processing, Associate Professor Haiqing Lin is developing nanostructured materials with sub-nanometer pores that could enable the membranes used in reverse osmosis to catch more salt as water passes through. The improved membrane is also designed to cut in half the amount of energy required to operate it.

Research Professor Michel Dupuis is applying multiscale multiphysics theoretical and computational models to predict how light absorption, carrier generation, life time,

Mark Swihart, UB distinguished professor, empire innovation

recombination, transport, and space-charge

professor, and current chair of UB CBE credits the RENEW

distribution in thin films and across material

program with providing new opportunities for faculty to further

interfaces contribute to solar conversion efficiency.

integrate the themes of sustainability and pathways to a regenerative economy into their research programs and funding models. RENEW has facilitated support for seminars and seed funding for research, enabling CBE faculty to push into new directions. RENEW-focused projects foster collaboration within and beyond the department, and provide access to support from RENEW staff scientists. “All of us in CBE were delighted to learn of Amit’s well-deserved election to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest honors that any engineer can achieve. He joins UB CBE faculty members Eli Ruckenstein, Chip Zukoski, and Mike Lockett as members of this elite organization, making our department one of just a handful of chemical engineering departments with four or more NAE members,” Swihart said.

The Institute as a whole has attracted several new, interdisciplinary faculty, with specific areas of expertise targeted to fill technical gaps identified during the Institute’s strategic planning. UB CBE was able to add two high-impact faculty to our roster, Amit Goyal, empire innovation professor and RENEW director, and more recently Professor Thomas Thundat, an internationally recognized expert on nanomechanical sensors, networks of sensors and quasi-wireless transmission of electricity.

UB Distinguished Professor Mark Swihart is studying emerging light-trapping strategies and new lead-free hybrid perovskite layers for future solar cells.

Associate Professor Gang Wu and Research Professor Michel Dupuis are developing efficient, highly-selective, low over-potential, heteroatom-doped, carbon-based electrocatalysts for sustainable energy conversion and storage via CO2 reduction.

Empire Innovation Professor Thomas Thundat is developing sensors and sensor networks with broad applications from improving energy efficiency to detecting pollutants, and is advancing a new paradigm for quasi-wireless power distribution to sensors and other devices.

SECTION TITLE?

educational, research, and community engagement

UB CBE UNDERGRADUATE SECTION PROGRAM TITLE?

UNDERGRADUATE EXCELLENCE As UB CBE's Academic Coordinator, I see our undergraduate

In the coming academic year, I hope to see more women

students benefit greatly from our program. From our

taking on governing roles in our engineering organizations.

in-depth curriculum to experiential learning such as

Our female leaders have noted that the more support

internships, clubs, co-ops, and research work with faculty,

they have, the more they are encouraged to run for an officer

students leave our program well rounded and prepared

position and challenge engineering stereotypes. To all

for professional jobs in the field of chemical engineering.

of our undergraduate program

Recently, I have seen more female student involvement

students, best wishes for

in leadership roles in our Engineering Council clubs, such as

a successful academic year!

AIChE and Engineers for a Sustainable World, which both had female presidents last year. These leadership experiences provide our female students with opportunities for networking and developing strong communication, interpersonal, and

Marlo Roetzer, Academic Coordinator

problem solving skills.

New Co-op Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

Monica Lupion, Teaching Assistant Professor

UB CBE students attend SWE Local

Effective with the spring 2018

Undergraduate students Christine Ma

semester, UB CBE launched a

and Colleen Mroz attended

formal Co-operative education

a Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

program, or Co-op, that provides

Local Conference this past spring.

our undergraduate students an

SWE Local Conferences, which take

opportunity to gain meaningful paid

place in several locations around

work experience prior to graduation.

the world, were introduced in 2017

Co-op is often the best way for our

as a way to bring the excitement,

students to immerse themselves in

Christine Ma

energy and learning environment of

professional work, define a career

SWE's annual conference to a greater

path, and realize the value of

number of students, with lower travel

what they learn in the classroom.

requirements. The students travelled

Coordinated by Teaching Assistant Professor Monica Lupion,

to Providence, Rhode Island and

the department reached out to organizations of interest and

took part in industry tours, research

was able to send students to companies including Dupont,

presentations, and networking

Rich Products, McGard, and VanDeMark. These students took

opportunities. Both women were

some of our CE courses available over the summer, mainly

also recipients of 2018 UB CBE Senior

online, so that they had the flexibility to work and study at the same time. In this way, they’re now ready to get back to their university studies upon completion of their co-op experience, without further delay. For our second academic year, UB CBE will focus on expanding our network of companies participating in the program, and improving the experience for participants through feedback and evaluation of experiences to date. To learn how you can host a co-op student or attend an informational event, contact Monica Lupion at 716-645-3365 or mlupionc@buffalo.edu.

16 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Colleen Mroz

Academic Excellence Awards.

Fatou Cisse selected for NASA/New York Space Grant Consortium Fatou Cisse, UB CBE undergraduate student, has been selected as a 2017-2018 NASA/New York Space Grant Consortium: National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program fellow. Ms. Cisse has participated in research in Dr. Swihart's lab for the past two years on the synthesis of platinum-based nanomaterials.

Her research project aims to develop stable nano-inks of metal nanoparticles with applications in hydrogen separation and storage. Ms. Cisse's research will be highlighted along with other students from the NASA Consortium across the United States in NASA publications. Since graduation, she has been working with the US Department of the Navy.

AIChE Club Update This past year, the UB student chapter of AIChE remained quite active and successful. Our group kicked off the year with the annual hike to the Eternal Flame in Orchard Park, New York, and was joined by Professor Johannes Hachmann.

In November, we flew off to Minnesota for the AIChE national student conference, where we competed in Chem-e Jeopardy, attended seminars, and interacted with students from schools across the country. Later in the semester, both Honeywell and Flying Bison Brewing Company were gracious enough to host us on wonderful tours of their respective facilities. The club also participated in Engineering Week, hosting mini science experiments to promote STEM education.

These activities included running through a pool of cornstarch and water, building water filters, and a liquid nitrogen ice cream event at the Buffalo Museum of Science. In April, we attended the AIChE regional student conference at Princeton University; experiencing the Chem-e car competition and exploring the historic Ivy League campus. The year culminated with our annual banquet at Chef’s restaurant.

At the banquet, Professors David Courtmanche and Johannes Hachmann were awarded Professors of the Year and the next year’s board was inaugurated. Thank you to our diligent students, exceptional faculty, and dedicated members of the community for your continued support!

Benjamin Carlson, Social Chair 2017-18, Vice President 2018-19

AIChE members on a hike with Johannes and Anna Hachmann.

AIChE members and CBE faculty at the AIChE Annual Conference.

AIChE making liquid nitrogen ice cream for kids at the Buffalo Museum of Science.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 17

SECTION UB CBE UNDERGRADUATE TITLE? PROGRAM

UNDERGRADUATE EXCELLENCE

UB CBE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS UB CBE’s Undergraduate Scholarship Reception was held on May 2, 2018.

We congratulate all of our awardees and thank our sponsors. Everyone was especially glad to receive a visit from Professor Emeritus Thomas A. Weber, in whose honor one of these scholarships is endowed:

AIChE WNY Local Section Outstanding Senior Award Chi Hin Chan AIChE WNY Local Section Outstanding Junior Award Benjamin D. Carlson Professor Thomas W. Weber Undergraduate Excellence Award Andrew D. Scull CBE Senior Academic Excellence Award Michael Beckinghausen Andrew J. Derooy Suting Huang Erin Jorgensen Christine R. Ma Chad R. Mee Mitchell Miller Colleen E. Mroz Sarah E. Reeves Leigh G. Slyker Charles Steuerwald Joseph G. Suhay

CBE Junior Academic Excellence Award William T. Erdman Christian M. Ferger Allison Kalinousky Tyler Secrest Kimberly A. Vaeth WNY-ACS Distinguished Student Award Roshaan Surendhran SEAS Senior Scholars Research Scholarship Barituziga Banuna Chen Lin Adam Raszewski Md Hossion Shovon Joshua Sokolowski Barbara & Jack Davis Engineering Education Fund Scholarship Julia Caserto Matthew Spink Emily Wagner

MAKE A CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTION

Drs. Stelios Andreadis, chair, David Kofke, interim director of undergraduate studies, and Tom Weber, professor emeritus

Grace Lee Dean’s Scholarship Emmanuel Canales

Dean Paul E. Mohn Memorial Scholarship Michelle Soto Hernandez

David M. Benenson Memorial Scholarship Austin Reese

SEAS Student Leaders Scholarship Tanahiry Escamilla

Your support is vital to UB CBE’s success, providing the difference between funding what is necessary and what is possible. Donors to our annual fund allow bright, hardworking students to fulfill their dreams and complete their degrees through scholarships and fellowships. They advance the profession by funding groundbreaking research, and they provide resources to furnish facilities and purchase the latest technologies for faculty and students. A gift from you in any amount helps UB CBE make critical investments and recruit and retain the best students and faculty.

To make a gift, simply go online to cbe.buffalo.edu/donate or call us at 716.645.1174.

18 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

THANK YOU!

The challenges facing our world today require creative solutions rooted in many different sub disciplines within chemical engineering. The overarching goal of our graduate program is to deliver a personalized educational experience in the classroom and lab that will ultimately drive innovation during and long after students’ time here. This past year, we’ve created a number of new initiatives designed to help strengthen our portfolio of educational programming. First, we increased the total number of distinct master’s degrees from three to four by adding a one-year course and exam-based Master of Science program. We also started a new BS/MS program, which allows qualifying senior CBE undergraduates to stay an extra year and graduate with a Master of Science degree. With two new faculty who joined the department during the year, several summer classes are now offered at the graduate level, which complement the already strong list of graduate level class offerings during the school year and further help students complete their degree requirements in a timely manner. The research environment in CBE remains vibrant. In addition to weekly research seminars, CBE hosted the annual Graduate Research Symposium in fall 2017 and the Ruckenstein Lecture in spring 2018 with Dr. Samir Mitragotri

and Dr. Jeffrey Hubbell as the guest speakers. Each year our graduates apply the training they receive in CBE to jump start exciting careers in engineering, science, entrepreneurship, and medicine after graduation, and this year was no exception.

We look forward to another exciting year ahead as we continue our growth as a department and a family.

Sheldon Park, Director of Graduate Studies

NEW MS OPTION CAN BE COMPLETED IN ONE YEAR Our students come to UB with diverse backgrounds, and finding a program that best matches each of their educational needs and professional aspirations is critical to drawing maximum benefits from attending graduate school. We have updated our master’s degree program options so that students can now select from four options based on their background, career plans and life circumstances. We continue to offer the traditional research-based Master of Science (MS) degrees, with a thesis or project, as well as a project-based Master of Engineering degree. We have also developed a coursework and exam-based Master of Science, which can be completed within one year at significant time and cost savings to the student. The degree, which can be completed using course credits only, can be useful as a complement to other postbaccalaureate degrees or as a standalone to strengthen a resume. This option is now also available to our graduating bachelor’s students. To participate, students will enroll in summer, fall and spring courses after their senior year and thus

complete the requirements in one year. These new programs are made possible, in part, by addition of new faculty members, Profs. Monica Lupion and David Courtemanche, who together have added new graduate level courses in Energy and the Environment and Six Sigma for Chemical Engineers, and are planning additional future offerings, some of which may be offered online. For more information about the various ways to earn a Chemical and Biological Engineering master’s degree at UB, contact our Academic Coordinator, Marlo Roetzer, at mkerr@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2569.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 19

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM UPDATE

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM

GRADUATE STUDENT PROFILE

MARIE BEITELSHEES

Marie Beitelshees is a third-year PhD candidate in the Pfeifer research group. Beitelshees’ research is dedicated to developing more effective vaccines against commensal bacteria with a focus on Streptococcus pneumoniae.

She works in conjunction with a startup company, Abcombi Biosciences, on vaccine delivery technology that overcomes the manufacturing limitations of current solutions. Currently, Beitelshees is focusing on a biofilm model that allows expression of the virulent biofilm released phase, which could lead to the discovery of new protective antigens.

She plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry after graduation, using her experience in both research and entrepreneurship to advance her career.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of pneumonia and results in the most antibiotic prescriptions. Globally, it is also a leading cause of death in children under 5.

A more efficacious vaccine against this bacterium could greatly improve quality of life throughout the world.

> Marie Beitelshees in

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland during a backpacking trip around the islands of the North Atlantic

STUDENT AWARDS & HONORS PHD STUDENT NIMA SHAHKARAMIPOUR from the Haiqing Lin research group has been awarded the Waste Management Research and Study Scholarship from the Air & Waste Management Association. Shahkaramipour also won the First Place Student Poster Award at the 2018 North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Conference.

He is a fourth-year PhD student with four published articles on the topic of membranes for waste management. His recent publication titled “Membrane Surface Modification Using Thiol-Containing Zwitterionic Polymers via Bio-adhesive Polydopamine”, was published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

PHD STUDENT LINGXIANG ZHU from the Haiqing Lin research group received the 2018 NAMS (North American Membrane Society) Student Fellowship Award. Zhu was a finalist of Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research at the 2017 AIChE Annual Meeting. Zhu also received the Dean’s Graduate Achievement Award from SEAS. His recent research demonstrated a new approach to manipulating polymer structure by acid doping, leading to superior H₂/CO₂ separation performance. The work was published in Energy & Environmental Science (with an impact factor of 29.5). He started his professional career this spring at the U.S. DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory.

VIRGINIA DEL SOLAR FERNANDEZ, a postdoctoral associate of the Genome, Environment and Microbiome Community of Excellence working in Sriram Neelamegham’s group, has been awarded an Outstanding Scientific Content Poster Award for her presentation “Thioglycosides are Efficient Metabolic Decoys of Glycosylation: Reduction of Selectin Dependent Leukocyte Adhesion” in the Inter PEG (Programs of Excellence in Glycosciences) 2018 meeting held in San Diego on March 2018.

YANG LIU is a fifth year PhD student from

“In my professional career, I hope to continue the development of vaccines and therapeutics so as to make a positive impact on the world.”

Mark Swihart’s group whose work on biconcave nanoplatelets was recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) and whose work on cation exchange in nanoheterostructures just appeared in ACS Nano.

Colloidal metal chalcogenide nanocrystals have captured the attention of many researchers because of their potential for use in thermoelectric, electrocatalytic, and photovoltaic applications. Yang’s recent work showed for the first time that biconcave (red blood cell shaped) nanoplatelets could be produced via cation exchange reactions, providing not only a better understanding of the relationships among composition, morphology and crystal structure for copper sulfidebased nanocrystals, but also a pathway to a previously inaccessible

nanostructure. Yang graduated in summer 2018 and plans to continue his research career as a postdoctoral fellow in the general field of synthetic inorganic nanochemistry with applications in areas such as catalysis, photonics, and energy conversion and storage.

HANGUANG ZHANG recently authored a paper in the Journal of The American Chemical Society (JACS). Working in the Gang Wu research group, he developed an approach to prepare an innovative atomically dispersed single iron site catalyst showing exceptional activity and stability in challenging acid media. Such catalysts have great potential to replace platinum catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) that are the most promising power sources for electric vehicles due to their high energy density and zero CO2 emissions. This progress was highlighted by the U.S. Department of Energy and helped to bring nearly $1 million in new funding to the Wu group. Zhang is a PhD student expected to graduate in Fall 2019. He plans to continue relevant research in the field of electrochemical energy in his career.

NICHOLAS MOSCATELLO, a PhD candidate in the Blaine Pfeifer lab, was selected as a recipient of the Dean’s Graduate Achievement Award. This award honors exceptional graduate students who have contributed significantly to the advancement of their field through the performance of outstanding research. In Moscatello’s case, he studied the use of a multifunctional natural product for a variety of applications that span environmental protection and antibiotic activity.

MOJTABA HAGHIGHATLARI has been awarded the 2018 Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI) Fellowship, and will receive six months of support for his research. The MolSSI serves as a nexus for science, education, and cooperation serving the worldwide community of computational molecular scientists. The Institute spurs significant advances in software infrastructure, education, standards, and bestpractices needed to enable the molecular science community to open new windows on the next generation of scientific Grand Challenges.

Haghighatlari’s research focuses on development and implementation of a machine learning toolbox for data analysis, mining, and modeling in the chemical and materials sciences, in particular in the context of large datasets from high-throughput computational chemistry.

Two UB CBE Students Have Won 2018-19 Western New York Prosperity Fellowships The WNY Prosperity Fellowships, which are made possible through support from the Prentice Family Foundation, are awarded to college and graduate students with an entrepreneurial drive who want to make a difference in Western New York by furthering economic development and growth in the region.

OGECHI OGOKE Ogechi Ogoke is a third-year PhD candidate in Natesh Parashurama's research group. His focus is on the development of functional liver tissue from pluripotent stem cells, which he hopes to turn into a start-up endeavor in the near future.

EMMANUEL NSENGIYUMVA This is Emmanuel Nsengiyumva’s second year as a prosperity fellowship recipient. He is a master’s degree candidate in the Paschalis Alexandridis group, having earned his BS degree here in 2016. His research focuses on watersoluble polymers involved in the extraction of unconventional oil and gas, and those that can be used in the presence of long salinity water to reduce the use of fresh water. He plans to start his own chemical company focusing on designing and manufacturing formulated products in Western New York.

Stelios Andreadis PhD student AREF SHAHINI received the Superior Poster Presentation Award from the American Aging Association Annual Meeting (AGE) this past June. His poster theme was “NANOG Restores the Myogenic Differentiation Potential of Senescent Myoblasts”.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 21

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM

STUDENT AWARDS & HONORS

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM

GRADUATE SYMPOSIUM UB CBE’s annual Graduate Research Symposium is always a highlight of the fall semester. This year marked the 20th anniversary of this signature event, which was held on September 22 in the UB Center for the Arts. The event featured Dr. Samir Mitragotri, Hiller Professor of Bioengineering and Wyss Professor, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University. Dr. Mitragotri presented “Understanding and Overcoming Biological Barriers for Drug Delivery”. Prior to the keynote presentation, PhD candidate Parham Rohani from the Swihart group presented his research on “Boron, Boron Hyper-doped Silicon, and Silicon nanoparticles: Synthesis, Properties and Applications”, and Yayu Liu from the Andreadis group spoke about “Novel Roles of Cell-Cell Adhesion

Samir Mitragotri

in Stem Cell Differentiation, Proliferation, and Extracellular Matrix Synthesis”. The lectures were followed by a poster contest featuring over 60 entries from graduate students whose research spanned the department’s research areas.

All graduate students in their second year and beyond were invited to present their research, which was evaluated by a large panel of judges including faculty from CBE and other departments, alumni, and friends of the department.

A wine, beer, and hors-d'oeuvres reception honored our alumni and guest judges, to whom we extend sincere gratitude for their efforts on behalf of our graduate students.



Over 60 students presented posters

22 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

PhD Candidate Samaneh Moghadasi Boroujeni presents her research project to Empire Innovation Professor Thomas Thundat

UB SYMPOSIUM

JOB AND CAREER PERSPECTIVES

FOR STUDENTS IN COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCES

The annual Ruckenstein Lecture, held each spring, honors our colleague, Eli Ruckenstein, a prolific researcher who has made (and continues to make) contributions in almost every subfield of chemical engineering. Each year the series brings to our campus a distinguished scholar in chemical engineering to speak about research activities in his or her laboratory, trends in the field, and larger problems in society that chemical engineers can address. The series is created by the Ruckenstein Endowment Fund, which has been supported by generous alumni and faculty donors. This April, Dr. Jeffrey A. Hubbell, University of Chicago Eugene Bell Professor in Tissue Engineering, presented "Glycomaterials for Engineering Immunity and Tolerance". He discussed the use of novel nanomaterial carriers to either amplify or suppress immune response, which may be used in vaccine development or to treat autoimmune diseases.

As part of UB’s CDSE (Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering) Days, Assistant Professor Johannes Hachmann and 2018 PhD Graduate Mohammad Atif Faiz Afzal created the “UB Symposium on Job and Career Perspectives for Students in the Computational Sciences” with a goal of addressing questions that students working in computational research groups at UB may have regarding their career prospects upon graduation.

Each year, five speakers are invited, and their combined experience has covered jobs at more than 25 companies, including BASF, DowDuPont, Eastman Kodak, ExxonMobil, IBM, Intel, Samsung, and Schlumberger.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 23

UB CBE GRADUATE PROGRAM

RUCKENSTEIN LECTURE

SECTION TITLE?

ALUMNI PROFILE

DAVID GEER BS, PHD 2005

Since graduation, David Geer, who studied under SUNY Distinguished Professor Stelios Andreadis, has worked in the biopharmaceutical industry in the areas of process development and commercialization of live virus vaccines and biological drug substances and products.

He is currently a member of the UB CBE advisory board.

David started his professional career at Merck and Co. with responsibility for technical support and project leadership during late stage product development. Over the years, he has contributed to many new products serving global unmet medical needs such as GARDASIL®, the first vaccine for cervical cancer, and KEYTRUDA®, the first FDA-approved anti PD1 immunotherapy medicine for melanoma and lung cancer. Recently, David joined Shire as a Director in Small Molecule Technical Operations and is currently working in Exton, PA. David tells us he’s energized each day by knowing there are patients and healthcare practitioners who depend on the life-saving products he and his team work on. The work makes a positive difference in lives all around the world and it’s truly what he loves about his job.

In his spare time, David trains for running events, sails, windsurfs and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

“My favorite memory of UB CBE was working in Dr. Andreadis’ laboratory—it was hard work but we always made it fun when we could.

It was a great time in my life.”

“To students at UB CBE—Success in the technical business world is more than just being smart— you need to be proactive, a good communicator, situationally aware (i.e. big picture) and finally, willing to invest heavily in developing your emotional intelligence.”

24 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS Akash Narani, MS 2010, receives “35 under 35” award from AIChE The AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) 35 under 35 award spotlights young chemical engineers and their technical and leadership contributions.

It was created to acknowledge early-career successes and promote the accomplishments of the new generation of chemical engineers. Narani was recognized for his excellence in the field of bioengineering and for his significant contributions to the AIChE National and NorCal section, where he currently serves as chair. He attributes much of his success to his time spent at UB, where he was a graduate student in the Paschalis Alexandridis lab. Narani serves as a senior process engineer with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in their Advanced Biofuels (and Bioproducts) Process Development Unit in Berkeley, California. He works with clients in the industrial biotech space and national labs that are interested in scaling-up and optimizing their bioprocess technologies to produce bio-based chemicals, materials, and fuels. In the future, he would like to apply his engineering, project management and leadership experience to advance to a business management role.

“My goal is to realize the untapped potential of advanced biofuels and bio-based products, to improve environmental sustainability and human health.”

Christopher Wirth, BS 2007, receives NSF Career Award Cleveland State University Engineering Assistant Professor Chris Wirth has earned the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the highest recognition NSF gives to early-career faculty.

The award includes a multi-year grant to be used to advance innovative research, while also providing mentoring and training to assist in developing the next generation of higher education leaders. Wirth will lead a project to better measure the motions and forces that arise in a concentrated suspension of nanoparticles.

The research seeks to transform our understanding of how nanoparticles of complex shape or surface chemistry interact during the processing of coatings, production of complex fluids, and in synthetic and biological active colloids. He will receive $500,000 for the five-year effort.

“The continued advancement of the coatings and advanced materials industries requires better measurement of these novel nanoparticles and better understanding of how they interact and impact microstructure formation,” Wirth says. “This research will utilize innovative imaging technology to provide more accurate analysis and ultimately lead to the development of more efficient production techniques.”

Stella Alimperti, PhD 2014, appointed Principal Investigator at American Dental Association/ National Institute of Standards and Technology

Jayant K. Singh, PhD 2005, Chaired Professor and Head of the Center for Development of Technical Education, IIT Kanpur Jayant K. Singh has been selected for the Mr. and Mrs. Gian Singh Bindra Chaired Professorship at IIT Kanpur, for three years starting in June 2017. Jayant recently completed a term as associate dean for the school’s undergraduate program, and he has now taken on a new role as a head of the Center for Development of Technical Education.

Jayant is also an associate editor for the publication Chemical Engineering Communications. Jayant caught up with his former advisor David A. Kofke at the 10th Liblice Conference on the Statistical Mechanics of Liquids at Sumava National Park in the Czech Republic.

Katerina Tsoutsoura, PhD 2013, promoted to team leader, Syngenta Crop Protection AG Katerina Tsoutsoura, who studied in the Paschalis Alexandridis group, recently assumed a team leader role in formulation development at Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Switzerland headquarters.

She and her team are responsible for the development of new agrochemical products for disease control.

“I remember very fondly the support that I got specifically from my mentor (P. Alexandridis) and the entire faculty of CBE.”

Stella Alimperti, a former member of the Stelios Andreadis group, has been appointed as principal investigator at NIST in Washington, D.C. Her research is focused on developing new tissue engineering and regenerative therapies with emphasis on oral health. Oral diseases are considered the most expensive to treat, and although different treatments have been developed against them, significant challenges remain, such as high cost, aging, and lifelong side-effects such as oral malignancies.

Thus, engineering oral therapeutics that can be applied to personalized medical treatment remains an important medical need. Alimperti’s research is focused on the development of tools to identify new biological targets involved in microvascular diseases impacting oral medicine.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 25

UB CBE ALUMNI

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS

UB CBE ALUMNI

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS Chih-Kuang Chen, PhD 2014, promoted to Associate Professor Chih-Kuang Chen, who studied with CBE Associate Professor Chong Cheng, has been promoted to associate professor at the Fiber and Composite Materials department of Feng Chia University in Taiwan. Dr. Chen established the Polymeric Biomaterials Laboratory at Feng Chia, and has been awarded three research grants from the Taiwan government. He has also published 22 journal papers, and advised one PhD and five master’s students to-date. His research focuses on novel drug delivery carriers, new gene delivery vectors, smart nanofiber systems, and functional nanomaterials/nanocomposites.

“I highly appreciate the fabulous learning experience I had in the Chong Cheng Lab, because it prepared me to independently conduct interesting polymer-related research work and to mentor my students in Taiwan.”

Kaustubh Rane, PhD 2014, named Assistant Professor at IIT Gandhinagar After graduating with a PhD in 2014, Kaustubh Rane worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany for two years with support from a prestigious Humboldt Scholarship.

The experience helped him formulate the scientific questions he presently addresses as a member of the faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN). His research focuses on understanding the role of interfacial fluctuations in the motion of nanoscale systems, and developing efficient computational tools to extract information about molecularscale fluctuations from experimental observations. His group is investigating artificial systems like liquid droplets on solid surfaces and biological systems like motor proteins.

“I enjoyed my years at UB CBE, and still remember Professor Nitsche’s Elroy and Professor Swihart’s “Yadi-yadi yada”, as well as Professor Errington’s “What’s new?” during our weekly meetings. I always use this phrase to start meetings with my students at IITGN. The annual CBE barbecues were excellent, as were the dinners hosted by Professors Errington and Kofke at their homes. I hope those traditions continue!”

26 | University at Buffalo Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Ken Tye Yong, BS 2001, PhD 2006, receives Resenhain Medal Associate Professor Ken Tye Yong of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Nanyang Technological University is this year’s recipient of the Rosenhain Medal and Prize of the Council of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), in recognition of distinguished achievement in any branch of materials science, with preference given to researchers under the age of 40. Instituted in 1951 to honor the memory of metallurgist Walter Rosenhain, it is the highest young researcher award presented by IOM3, the premier global network for professionals in materials science.

Prof Yong is just the 2nd Asian scientist to receive the award since its establishment. Specifically, Prof Yong is cited for his early-career accomplishment in the area of the engineering of functional nanomaterials for biomedicine, nanophotonics, and miniaturized devices at the nano and microscale level. Yong, who earned his PhD in the Swihart group, has co-authored more than 200 journal publications, which have been cited approximately 10,000 times.

Zhiyong Gu, PhD 2004, receives mentoring award Zhiyong Gu, associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) received an award for outstanding mentoring of students. The award honors individual faculty members who exemplify a deep commitment to fostering professional and personal development of students and for helping to build a supportive academic environment through facultyto-student mentoring.

ALUMNI CONNECTION Keeping in touch with your friends at UB CBE is simple, and we always love to hear from you. There’s a special place in our hearts for graduates who’ve made their way in the world, and we hope you’ll be willing to give back with advice and input. Here are a few of the ways our students can use your help: GIVE SOME ADVICE. Our new website contains a section for students to seek advice from alums. Share what you wish you knew when you were a student.

Hangquan Li visits Buffalo Dr. Hangquan Li visited Prof. Eli Ruckenstein and his wife Velina this past July. Li received his PhD in Polymer Science & Engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology in 1990. He worked with Dr. Ruckenstein as a visiting scientist during 1993-1996. He has been appointed as a Professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology since 1996.

He was awarded National Distinguished Professor of China in 2008, because of his outstanding teaching performance.

He has published over 100 papers mainly on polymer research (including over 20 co-authored papers with Prof. Ruckenstein), and written four textbooks on polymers and materials.

Tell students what a typical day in your career as a cheme is like.

Update your listing in our alumni directory Send us your faces of CBE profile Give a lecture to the AIChE student chapter Connect with us on LinkedIn and Facebook

CONTACT US ANYTIME: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering 303 Furnas Hall, University at Buffalo, North Campus Buffalo, NY 14260-4300 Phone: 716-645-2909 | Email: cbe@buffalo.edu

FOR MORE INFORMATION on how to make any of these connections, go to cbe.buffalo.edu, and thanks.

Catalyst Fall 2018 | 27

UB CBE ALUMNI

ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENTS

NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE

PAID

BUFFALO, NY PERMIT #311 303 Furnas Hall, University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo, NY 14260-4200

UB CBE ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

MARTY SANBORN, BS 1996 After graduating from UB CBE, Marty Sanborn moved to Chicago and completed his PhD in chemical engineering at Northwestern University. He currently works for INEOS, where over the last 16 years, he’s had the opportunity to apply his modeling and simulation skills to projects that range from day-to-day troubleshooting to site optimization and new plant design.

In the balance of his life, he spends time with Tracy, his wife of 20 years, and their 5 children, ages 5 to 10. When not acting as a taxi service or short order cook for the children, he leads his boys’ Cub Scout pack, enjoys taking the family on long biking and hiking treks, and makes an annual trip back to Western New York to see family and friends and, of course, to Duff’s for chicken wings.

“It may sound cliché, but UB CBE provided me with the foundation I needed for a successful career. I put that fundamental engineering knowledge to use every day in my professional life, and that's why I support UB CBE with my annual donation. To students at UB CBE, keep an open mind about new projects and career possibilities, as they can lead to exciting things. Give back generously when you can, and hold on to those thermo, organic chemistry, and process design textbooks—they’ll get plenty of use after graduation.”

-Marty