THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN • COCKRELL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING. DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Associate Professor Jennifer Maynard, the Laurence E. McMakin, Jr. Centennial Faculty Fellow, has teamed up with biotech company Synthetic Biologics, Inc. to develop a monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy for the treatment of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough.

Whooping cough causes an estimated 294,000 deaths annually worldwide, primarily among young, unvaccinated children.  Recent reports … Read the rest »

The storage capacity of hard disk drives could increase by a factor of five thanks to processes developed by chemical engineering Professors Grant Willson and Chris Ellison and ChE senior Leon Dean.

The researchers’ technique, which relies on self-organizing substances known as block copolymers, was described in a recent article in Science magazine. It’s … Read the rest »

Professor Brian Korgel and his research group have been featured on chemeurope.com for creating the first ordered arrays, or superlattices, of silicon nanocrystals, also known as quantum dots.  Their work could help utilize light-emitting properties of silicon to develop things like light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or possible lasers.

Bulk silicon is one of the most commercially … Read the rest »

Creating fuel from sunlight sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie depicting technology of the future, but Professor Mullins and his team are working to make this concept a reality.  Trailblazers in energy research, the Mullins Group is also studying materials in lithium-ion batteries for portable electronic devices and electric cars as well as … Read the rest »

Professor David Allen, the Melvin H. Gertz Regents Chair in Chemical Engineering, continues to lead a research team conducting a major field study to measure methane emissions from natural gas production. Little empirical data exists and findings from the study could help guide how companies, states and the federal government measure, monitor and manage methane emissions.

Field … Read the rest »

Professor James Chelikowsky and his research team have received a $6.2 million grant over a five-year period to develop computer software to design and discover materials for low-cost energy applications. Potential uses include economical battery materials to capture solar energy and materials that convert water to hydrogen using sunlight.

“The software we develop will help … Read the rest »

Professors Tom Truskett, Keith Johnston and Jennifer Maynard have been awarded a 5-year $600,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to continue research to develop high-dosage, injectable protein-based therapeutics for at-home treatment of diseases ranging from arthritis to cancer.

The team’s discovery of a new highly concentrated form of proteins – clusters of individual protein molecules … Read the rest »

 
Austin area alumni attended the McKetta Seminar Series at the J.J. Pickle Research Center on June 4.  Department Chair Roger T. Bonnecaze gave an update on the department before introducing UT ChE Professor Chris Ellison as the keynote speaker.

“It was great to see everyone,” said John J. McKetta, 96-year-old Emeritus Professor and event … Read the rest »

Brian Korgel’s work to create paint that turns solar energy into electrical power has been featured in a Science Nation video, supported by the National Science Foundation.

Research led by UT Austin Chemical Engineering Professors Johnston, Truskett and Maynard on a new form of proteins that could improve drug delivery has recently been featured in ACS Nano and Nanomedicine.

“The interest in this work at scientific meetings and in the scientific media has been intense,” said Professor Keith Johnston.

The team’s breakthough … Read the rest »