Research Opportunities

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

At The Ohio State University, there are vast opportunities for a wide range of research activities, which can be further broadened by interdisciplinary collaboration.

Research Centers:  More than 40 research centers campus wide provide students with access to state-of-the-art facilities for research, well as CBE-affiliated research centers and laboratories.

Global Engineering: There are also many opportunities for international research and internships, as well as global curriculum integration here on campus.   

FOCI

Using both applied (experimental) and theoretical/simulation (computational) methods of investigation, CBE's research foci can be broadly categorized into three overlapping areas:

• Advanced Materials
• Colloids
• Polymers and Nanomaterials.

Within those, there are seven categories of specialization, which can be approached from either an Experimental or Computational perspective:

1. Bioengineering, Technology, and Membranes
2. Colloids, Aerosols and Particle Technology
3. Fluid Mechanics and Multiphase Flow
4. Molecular Thermodynamics and Molecular Simulation
5. Reaction Engineering and Catalysis
6. Polymers and Nanomaterials
7. Sustainability, Energy, the Environment, and Process Engineering

Faculty Bios

Bioengineering & Biotechnology are broad terms that involve the application of engineering principles to biological processes.

1. Research in CBE covers a broad range of relevant topics, including:
2. Biomaterials (Cooper, Kimmel, Palmer, Swindle-Reilly, Winter);
3. Cell and tissue culture (Chalmers, Kimmel, Liu, Winter, Wood, Yang);
4. Drug delivery (Kimmel, Liu, Palmer, Swindle-Reilly, Watkins, Winter, Wood);
5. Imaging (Reátegui, Winter);
6. Medical diagnostics and therapies (Kimmel, Lee, Liu, Palmer, Reátegui, Watkins, Winter, Wood);
7. Separations (Chalmers, Ho, Liu, Reátegui, Winter, Wood).

Faculty Bios

Understanding the behavior of colloids, aerosols, and small particles is important in both natural and industrial settings.

Research in CBE includes:

1. Fundamental studies of particle nucleation from the vapor phase (Kusaka, Wyslouzil);
2. The growth, structure and freezing of nanodroplets (Wyslouzil);
3. Self-assembly of block copolymer micelles in the liquid phase (Hall, Watkins, Winter, Wyslouzil);
4. Development of reactors based on fluidization of small particles (Fan).

Faculty Bios

Fluid mechanics and multiphase flow are fundamental research areas that support the chemical process industry.

Currently, focus is largely on the complex multiphase flows (Fan) that characterize fluidized bed reactors.

Faculty Bios

A strong understanding of molecular thermodynamics is critical to our ability to predict the behavior of matter. Furthermore, the ability to simulate the properties of materials accurately can lead to significant insight into the underlying phenomena and, ultimately, the design of novel materials. Research within this focus area includes:

1. Experimental work (Tomasko);
2. Theory/simulation (Asthagiri, Hall, Kusaka, Lin, Rathman, Wyslouzil);
3. Catalysis and energy related materials (Asthagiri);
4. Polymers (Hall, Tomasko);
5. Dynamics of phase transitions (Kusaka, Hall, Wyslouzil);
6. Chemical toxicity (Rathman).

Faculty Bios

Led by senior faculty members Fan, Ho, and Ozkan, reaction engineering and catalysis have long been strong focal points in the department.

With the addition of Asthagiri and Brunelli, this area gained depth both experimentally (Brunelli) and computationally (Asthagiri, Getman).

Topics of interest are largely focused on energy and environmental problems, and include the development of heterogeneous catalysts and reactors for:

1. Biomass conversion (Brunelli, Fan, Getman, Ozkan);
2. Wastewater treatment (Getman, Ozkan, Ho);
3. Fuel cells (Asthagiri, Getman, Ho, Ozkan);
4. Efficient conversion of coal and natural gas (Asthagiri, Brunelli, Fan, Getman, Ozkan).

Faculty Bios

The department has had a long history of research in the area of polymers and nanomaterials.

Current focus is largely in the following areas:

1. Biomaterials and biological arena (Cooper, Kimmel, Lee, Swindle-Reilly, Winter);
2. Polymer membranes and  nanoporous materials (Ho);
3. Polymer theory/simulation (Hall);
4. Liquid crystals and liquid crystalline polymers (Wang);
5. Block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly (Watkins);
6. Polymer electrolytes and polymer dynamics at interfaces (Sangoro).

Faculty Bios

Meeting human needs while addressing and adapting to challenges posed by environmental change, resource depletion, and ecological deterioration is among the grand challenges facing humanity. In addition to directly addressing technological problems related to using or creating energy effectively, or environmental issues, this research focus also considers the broader problems of process engineering and sustainability. Areas of specialty include:

1. Directly addresses technological problems related to using or creating energy effectively (Asthagiri, Fan, Getman, Ho, Ozkan, Paulson, Sangoro);
2. Investigates problems related to environmental issues (Getman, Ozkan, Wyslouzil);
3. Considers the broader problems of process engineering and sustainability (Paulson);
4. Investigates energy harvesting from electromagnetic waves (Wang).