UConn Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

We are excited to welcome Dr. Génesis Quiles-Galarza as an Assistant Professor in Residence in our department starting?Fall 2025!?Prof. Quiles-Galarza joins us with a strong background in?machine learning for materials discovery, first-principles methods, and engineering education, bringing valuable experience in research and undergraduate teaching. ? Prof. Quiles-Galarza, an alumnus from our very own program, obtained her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024, with her Doctoral Thesis titled, “Identifying Material Fingerprints of Relevance to Understand Adsorbate-Surface Interactions Using First Principles Modeling and Machine Learning.” She has since joined as a Visiting Professor, making valuable contributions to educating the chemical engineering students in the UConn community and upholding high standards of academic excellence. Prior to obtaining her PhD, she served as a Secondary Science teacher at Bulkeley High School in Hartford, CT through Teach For America, which set the foundation for her journey as an educator. Prof. Quiles-Galarza will be contributing to our?MEng Program by teaching Chemical Engineering graduate courses, as well as focusing on computational chemical engineering approaches, enhancing our Department’s and UConn College of Engineering's commitment to student success and top-quality, cutting-edge education. We look forward to seeing the impact her work will have on our students and the broader academic community. Please join us in giving Prof. Genesis Quiles-Galarza a warm welcome!

Congratulations to #NAIMemberInstitution the University of Connecticut’s Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, NAI Fellow and Board Member, for being honored with the 2025 Paul Terasaki Innovation Award! The Paul Terasaki Innovation Award recognizes individuals who have made significant and ongoing contributions in biomedical science and engineering that they have also transformed into real-world solutions. Dr. Laurencin exemplifies this mission through his pioneering work in regenerative engineering—a field he founded that integrates advanced materials science, stem cell science, physics, developmental biology, and clinical medicine to regenerate complex tissues and organs. His vision has redefined what is possible in medicine, inspiring others to push the boundaries of their imagination. A practicing surgeon and chemical engineer, Dr. Laurencin invented the Laurencin-Cooper Ligament—the first engineered ACL replacement capable of regenerating torn tissue inside the human body. Instead of relying on painful tissue grafts or cadaver ligaments, his innovation allows the body to heal itself. The engineered grafts for rotator cuff tendon repair he developed help patients regain mobility and quality of life when traditional surgical methods fail. Dr. Laurencin’s innovations have reached millions of patients worldwide through products that improve orthopedic healing. His breakthroughs in soft tissue implants, bone regeneration, and bioengineered interference screws have led to multiple startups as well as collaborations with industry. The advanced materials he originally developed for musculoskeletal regeneration, known as polymer-ceramic composites, have inspired advancements in aerospace, electronics, and energy—demonstrating the far-reaching impact of his work. This award is named in memory of Dr. Paul Terasaki, an innovator at UCLA whose advancements in organ transplant medicine, including the tissue-typing test, have saved countless lives. Like Terasaki, the ingenuity and fortitude of Dr. Laurencin has fundamentally changed the way medicine is practiced. In 2024, the recipient of the Paul Terasaki Innovation Award was #NAIMemberInstitution the University of Texas at Austin’s Dr. Nicholas Peppas, also an NAI Fellow. Join us in celebrating NAI Fellow Dr. Laurencin and his extraordinary contributions to human health and well-being. #innovation #invention #regenerativeengineering UConn Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering UConn Health Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI)

On March 7, the University of Connecticut College of Engineering hosted its 11th Annual Poster Competition, bringing together more than 105 graduate students eager to share groundbreaking research that addresses some of the world’s most pressing challenges. ? This premier event followed the highly regarded Three Minute Thesis (3MT) format, tasking participants with distilling complex research into clear, engaging presentations for a distinguished panel of faculty and industry leaders. By bridging the gap between technical expertise and effective communication, the competition highlights the critical role of engineers in shaping the future. ? With over $2,000 in awards, the stakes were high. The first-place winner earned $1,000, the second-place winner received $500, and the third-place winner took home $250. Additional $50 prizes were awarded to top presenters within departments and the People’s Choice Award winner, underscoring the depth of talent across disciplines. The Honorable Mention award was also given, recognizing outstanding research and presentation skills among participants. ? The top three winners represented Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Aerospace & Manufacturing, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, showcasing the diversity and far-reaching impact of research within the college. Their work stands at the forefront of innovation, pushing the boundaries of science and technology. ? A huge thank you goes out to the dedicated volunteers from the UConn Engineering - John Lof Leadership Academy , Student Association Graduate Engineers (SAGE), and Alpha Phi Omega, whose commitment ensured the event’s success. A special acknowledgment to JLLA for their outstanding leadership and organization, which played a vital role in bringing this event to life. ? Congratulations to all participants, winners, and honorable mention! The competition was a testament to the brilliance, collaboration, and problem-solving spirit that define research within College of Engineering. The ideas presented today will help drive the technological advancements of tomorrow.

Congrats to the students of the Connecticut Center for Applied Separations Technologies (CCAST) for their participation in the UConn College of Engineering Graduate Student Poster session. Salman Ahmadipouya, Mi Zhang, Mert Can Hac?fazl?o?lu, Akanksha Majumder, and Deniz ?pek?i all gave posters. Collaborating graduate students also presented (Wei Ruan from Kelly Burke's group and Wajeha Tauqir from George Bollas's group). Many thanks to Julia Valla and Aida Ghiaei for their tremendous efforts in putting this event together!

BIG EAST Champs ??

Proud of my students, Benjamin G. Cohen, Zahir Aghayev, and Amir Shahbazi, for showcasing their hard work at the UConn College of Engineering 11th Annual Poster Competition. With over 100 posters presented and participation from all departments, this event is always a fantastic opportunity to share research and connect with peers.

Glimpses from yesterday's poster competition ?? It's quite difficult to explain all your research work in 3 minutes and to compete is definitely so much more challenging, but we're so so proud of all of our participants, it was a room filled with brilliant minds and people passionate about what they do. We feel incredibly grateful to be home to amazing students like ours. Congratulations to all our winners and participants! ??????

Congratulations to my colleague Isabel Escobar and former undergraduate researcher and UConn Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering alumna Malgorzata (Gosia) Chwatko for being honored for teaching excellence at the University of Kentucky.

This week, the Brew Crew had a flavor-packed tasting class led by Jennifer Pascal, Jennifer Mathieu, and Jeff Aeschlimann. They learned the basics of beer sensory analysis, identifying common flavor categories, and the causes of off-flavors. A huge thank you to the team at Urban Lodge for helping facilitate class and providing tasting samples! University of Connecticut School of Business UConn College of Engineering UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources UConn School of Pharmacy

The Connecticut Center for Applied Separations Technologies (CCAST) at the UConn Tech Park – Innovation Partnership Building has access to a forward osmosis crossflow test system. These systems, which were common in my lab from 2008-2016 (we used to have 5), have seen a decline in use since the #FO field basically fell apart. We have continued to find niche applications and projects that call for osmotic testing and restored one of the nicer systems (the rest have been recycled). This one features a test cell with a "clip" based closure for the membrane cell rather than the typical 4-bolt system. This makes loading and unloading the system much easier and avoids applying too much torque to the test cell. UConn Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering UConn College of Engineering