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Optimizing materials and energy

Find new ways to transform raw materials into useable products.

Transform raw materials into products for health and progress.

What is Chemical Engineering?

Explore the many diverse applications of this exciting field.

Chemical Engineering

What is Life Science Engineering?

Discover the cutting-edge applications and subspecialties of life science engineering.

Life Science Engineering

Chemical & Life Science Engineering Research

Learn more about our Areas of Research.

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Department of Chemical & Life Science Engineering

Chemical and life science engineering is a diverse engineering field involved in the development of chemicals, biochemical and biologics in a variety of applications including polymers, nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, clean fuels, environmental protection and medicine.

Researchers and students in the Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering apply their talents to projects in a variety of areas including departmental focal areas of pharmaceutical engineering, stem cell engineering, nanotechnology and materials science.

Independent and interdisciplinary efforts within the department take place across different academic units and shared facilities. State-of-the-art facilities such as the Nanomaterials Characterization Center, the Center for High Performance Computing, the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity and the Massey Cancer Center provide modern equipment and technical expertise. Our collaborative ties with faculty in life sciences, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and forensics have led to multidisciplinary research projects.

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News and Events

Jenilee Stanley-Shanks named a Richmond, Virginia, ‘Top 40 under 40’

VCU grads organize to help in Beirut relief efforts

VCU celebrates 179 faculty members awarded promotion and tenure in 2020

AIChE student award winner

VCU Engineering professor receives NSF grant to fight food deserts with smart technologies and data analytics

Biomanufacturing better ways to repair and regenerate tendons and ligaments

Biomedical engineering researcher studies breast cancer tumor “on-a-chip”

Meet the 2020-21 Wright Scholars

Innovation Lab 3D-prints face shields for student lab safety

As the temperature of ‘smart fabrics’ change, so do their colors

Fong named director for the Center for Integrative Life Sciences Education, Integrative Life Sciences Doctoral Program

$1 million gift will help expand programs for international students

Digitizing the supply network could jump-start America’s ability to produce crucial medicines

Dean Boyan receives North American Spine Society award

VCU engineering pioneer appointed director general of the World Nuclear Association

Hip-hop-based programming curriculum one of the ways Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center helps teachers grow

Doctoral student receives ASME’s inaugural James Truchard scholarship

Wendy Jiang Scelia (B.S.’11) Wins 10 Under 10 Award

What’s the science behind the best cup of joe? Ask a chemical engineer.

First-ever virtual RamHacks sets new records

VCU Engineering shows significant gains — and breaks some records — in enrollment, graduation

Alumnus’ VCU journey leads to new corporation — and a chance to fix America’s drug shortage problem

These members of the Class of 2024 are off to a strong start, whether from campus or their homes.

Computer science senior to attend world’s largest gathering of women in computing

VCU Engineering receives grants for job creation initiatives in pharmaceuticals, high-tech industries

VCU named National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Research

Inspired by his grandfather, a VCU Engineering grad’s design nearly becomes the new Mississippi state flag

RamHacks 2020 takes place virtually Sept. 26-27

VCU Engineering researchers are working to make clean energy easier and cheaper

It wasn’t an ordinary summer break, but students found plenty of ways to make it meaningful

VALRC collaboration teaches new skill to adult learners

2020 Undergraduate Research Poster Showcase

Meet one of VCU’s first to earn the Capital CoLAB badge

Second-year students address engineering’s grand challenges in Sophomore NAE Challenge

Meet VCU Engineering’s new faculty

USAID and National Academies appoint Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., as a Jefferson Science Fellow

Engineering dean appointed to new Virginia authority for innovation-led development

Computer science faculty member’s study among most cited in WIREs publication

Supriyo Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D., receives 2020 IEEE Nanotechnology Pioneer Award

Doctoral student takes top honors at major digital forensics conference

Electrical engineering scholar receives VCU’s 2020 Distinguished Dissertation Award

‘The improvement of the human condition’: 16 research projects receive Quest Fund grants

Mechanical engineering grad wins VCU Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award

Gary Tepper, Ph.D., elected IAAM Fellow

Graduate student wins grant to expand STEM education for youth with learning disabilities

VCU Engineering doctoral student publishes new tool for researchers investigating optical effects

Community partnership gives elementary school students a glimpse into the world of engineering

VCU researcher developing potential treatment to block COVID-19

VCU researcher receives grant to advance understanding of cell behavior in response to tissue mechanics in disease

Study in Nature Electronics reveals new magnetic process that can lead to more energy-efficient memory in computers and other devices

Computer science professor named Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Fellow

VCU Engineering researcher receives Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund award

Q&A forum on the Fall 2020 semester at VCU Engineering

VCU Engineering researcher part of multi-institutional team to understand the behavior of materials in extreme conditions

Gennady Miloshevsky, Ph.D., co-authors chapter in new textbook edition

Virginia Commonwealth University awards first digital tech badges to Capital CoLAB graduates

Mohamed Gad-el-Hak, Ph.D., honored in Journal of Fluids Engineering

VCU Engineering researcher is developing magnetic devices that improve efficiency of artificial networks

VCU Engineering undergraduate and graduate students receive American Nuclear Society national scholarships

VCU Engineering experts offer solutions to prescription medication shortages in Virginia Business magazine

Keeping our campus going

VCU Engineering’s Medicines for All Institute partners with industry to secure the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain

Graduate assistants honored at virtual awards ceremony

Faculty members receive promotions and tenure

VCU Engineering faculty win COVID-19 research funding

VCU researcher harnessing supercomputers in the race against COVID-19

VCU initiatives share faculty expertise, inventions to spur fight against COVID-19

VCU Engineering’s 2020-21 VCU Undergraduate Research Fellows and mentors

Three VCU students win National Security Education Program’s Boren Scholarship

Biomedical engineering department offers non-thesis option

2020 Capstone Design winners celebrated, top honors announced

New graduate school incentives for Class of 2020 Rams

Virtual Capstone Expo 2020

A call-to-action for the VCU Engineering Class of 2020

A ‘Tom Sawyer type of adventure’: Sam Cole’s path from tugboat deckhand to VCU research lab

Engineering and health care experts create data model to track and predict the spread of COVID-19 across central Virginia

VCU Engineering lab produces hand sanitizer

Computer science alum recognized for extraordinary contributions to the Institute for Defense Analyses

Mechanical and nuclear engineering student awarded U.S. Department of Energy scholarship

Ram B. Gupta, Ph.D., elected AIChE Fellow

Hip Hop music helps kids learn how to code

Class of 2020: Samuel Adu-Gyamfi is helping make medicine more accessible

VCU Health’s innovative decontamination process mitigates N95 mask shortage in hospitals

Engineering researcher and medical experts design DIY ventilator kit

VCU Engineering students, alumni honored in NSF graduate fellowship program

Two VCU students named Goldwater Scholars

VCU Engineering alum honored by Rochester Institute of Technology for outstanding research contributions

VCU Engineering offers free programs and resources to keep kids learning at home

A cane that steers? A glove that finds unseen objects?

VCU programs retain top U.S. News & World Report rankings

Capstone Spotlight: ECE 412

Innovative faculty recognized by the VCU chapter of the National Academy of Inventors

Your E-ZPass is not magic

Doctoral student to advocate for scientists in Washington

VCU Engineering student selected as Young Scientist for Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Collaboration with one-of-a-kind drug production lab at VCU accelerates Massey's innovation

Q&A with Wei-Ning Wang, Ph.D.

Transgender activist Rhonda Williams (A.S. ’68) addresses VCU Engineering’s Identity and Culture reception

Q&A with Dean Krusienski, Ph.D.

VCU Engineering assistant professor named 2020 Engineer of the Year by the Richmond Joint Engineers Council

VCU Engineering friend and benefactor receives the 2020 Outstanding Virginian Award

VCU computer science faculty member named IEEE Access Outstanding Associate Editor

Next-level virtual reality: bringing in brain signal feedback

VCU researchers to develop next-generation, long-lasting batteries

Medicines for All Institute and South African manufacturer enter partnership to improve access to lifesaving medications

‘A gym for cells’: VCU Engineering doctoral student is awarded an American Heart Association fellowship

Nuclear engineering Ph.D. student wins Roy G. Post Foundation Scholarship

Q&A with Alberto Cano, Ph.D.

More than 30 Ram Engineers featured in VCU alumni magazine’s 'Power Issue'

Studies by VCU Engineering researchers among the top 10 percent most cited in PLOS One

Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student wins NIH award

Krzysztof ‘Krys’ Cios named IEEE Fellow

Ph.D. student receives grant to attend AMIA Symposium

2019 Year in Review

Think like a cell. 3D print the results.

Engineering in Vision: If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.

Computer science researchers receive LORD Best Paper Award at IROS

Niels Asmussen receives Young Investigator Award

B. Frank Gupton, Ph.D., elected as National Academy of Inventors Fellow

Mechanical engineering doctoral student receives ASME poster award

Researchers honored for noninvasive eye-tracking system

VCU experts in nanomedicine and gene therapy work toward promising cardiovascular disease treatment

VCU, museum collaborate to study Richmond’s air quality

Saving the cities under the sea

Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D., receives Orthoregeneration Network grant

VCU student company to compete for up to $2M

Biomedical engineering student wins poster award

Arth Shah wins Biomedical Engineering Society student award

Engineering researcher addresses energy issues — and possibilities — at inaugural Science-Art Exchange

Elliot Roth (B.S.’15) receives 10 Under 10 award

VCU researcher is developing lung-derived nanoparticles to repair lung tissue

New maker courses give engineering students a fast track to skills and makerspace access

Hu Yang, Ph.D., named associate editor of Materials Express journal

Top 10? You’re in.

Q&A with Ruixin Niu, Ph.D.

VCU commits to increasing technology graduates; joins governor’s tech talent initiative

Jordan harnesses cardiac MRI to improve long-term heart health of cancer patients

HealthHacks 2019: pharmaceutical innovations for patient care

International symposium explores how nanoscience can help solve problems in energy, medicine

‘Solving the new literacy crisis’ by Dean Barbara Boyan, Ph.D., featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch

Finding Freddy: Assistive Agents for A Nightmare on Elm Street

Women Engineering Leaders in Academe 2019

Q&A with Ning Zhang, Ph.D.

VCU takes third in regional cybersecurity competition, will advance to nationals in New York

Doctoral student receives grants to showcase a new approach to identity recognition cameras

VCU students receive AIChE awards

VCU College of Engineering places final beam on new research building

Engineering and pharmacy join forces to make inhaled medications more effective for children and infants

Q&A with Hong Zhao, Ph.D.

VCU named National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

Gupton named a Person of the Year honoree

Meet the 2019-2020 Wright Scholars

Kenneth Wynne, Ph.D., named Distinguished Career Professor

VCU will lead $50M study of traumatic brain injuries in military personnel

VCU Institute for Engineering and Medicine aims to accelerate Richmond’s efforts to become a premier biotech hub

VCU College of Engineering to hold topping-off ceremony for new research building

Q&A with Jennifer Puetzer, Ph.D.

Meet VCU’s SMART scholars

The journal bringing the work of undergraduate VCU researchers to the world

VCU Engineering unveils new Maker Garage

VCU is part of a national team seeking to improve health for patients with spinal cord injury

Cain Scholarship winner Samuel Adu-Gyamfi seeks to make an impact

VCU Engineering community engagement leader honored by Cary Elementary

‘Alexa for chemistry’: National Science Foundation puts VCU and partners on fast track to build open network

Five Virginia Universities Receive Internship Program Grant Funds

Q&A with Nathaniel Kinsey, Ph.D.

Computer science professor to receive 2019 service award from the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society

Intern’s work identifying malaria antibodies impresses researchers

Medicine in motion

Meet the class of 2023

New faculty and academic promotions

VCU Engineering appoints new director of makerspaces

Hooman Tafreshi, Ph.D., joins editorial board of the journal Separation and Purification Technology

How a VCU grad student is getting her degree in style

VCU Engineering appoints senior associate dean for academic affairs

Philanthropist and businessman C. Kenneth Wright, who helped transform VCU, dies

The gift that keeps on giving

Engineering M.D.-Ph.D. student Jefferson Overlin receives NIH award

Leonard becomes College of Engineering’s Executive Dean

Streamlining pharmaceutical processes

VCU researchers gain insight into what makes a healthy cell stable

VCU Engineering faculty members receive Presidential Research Quest Fund grants

The Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC) welcomes new founding academic member Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

State approves nation’s first Ph.D. program in pharmaceutical engineering

VCU Engineering’s diversity and inclusion efforts recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education

Undergraduates from across the country train in mechanobiology research at VCU

Early experiences at VCU ignited Goldwater scholar’s passion for research

Computer science undergraduates conduct natural language processing research at Johns Hopkins University

VCU Engineering poised to lead cyber network in Central Virginia

Computer science researcher receives Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award

Two VCU Engineering faculty named fellows of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Start your engines!

Biomedical engineering undergraduate conducting cancer research at Yale

Postdocs win Early Investigator Awards

VCU Engineering-based research to advance orthopaedic implants and clean air earn 2019 CRCF awards

New NIH funding will support research into how the body responds to medical implants

Assistant professor receives 2019 Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Aerosols in Medicine

Michael Friedman, Ph.D., receives young investigator award

VCU collaboration with industry, universities, receives Virginia Catalyst grant

Faculty research on vaginal microbiomes and preterm birth published in Nature Medicine

Computer science sophomore selected to present at world’s largest gathering of women in computing

Computer engineering undergraduate wins Goldwater Scholarship

Announcing the 2019-2020 VCU Undergraduate Research Fellows

Making Smart Cities Smarter

Congratulations, DERI fellows!

Q&A with Mo Jiang, Ph.D.

Pasta + red = learning: How this NSF grant recipient taught herself to succeed with dyslexia

Thea Pepperl, Ph.D., selected as Service-Learning Faculty Fellow

Biomedical engineering and cardiovascular medicine team receive major grant

From Data to Decision

Meet mechanical engineering student Tyriq Clay from VCU’s TRIO program

Class of 2019: Wendy Sun’s passion for medicine, engineering and inclusion leads to Yale

Doctoral alum receives best paper award from Applied Spectroscopy

Post-baccalaureate student awarded for best poster at women in computing conference

Doctoral student receives first place poster award at FiltCon 2019

VCU places second in Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition

Class of 2019: How Myles Boyd doubled down on his dream to earn an engineering degree

Up to Code: Music major finds skills and inspiration in new computer science course for non-majors

VCU Engineering offers new undergraduate summer research programs

Q&A with Jessika Rojas, Ph.D.

Gupta delivers keynote in Global Conference on Global Warming

Scoliosis, seizures, desire to help others lead 14-year-old to study engineering

VCU’s Jordana Kron is searching for answers to a mystery disease

Capstone returns to the Stu

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Iron Meteorite Imaging System

Demo Day to showcase VCU students’ most promising startups and innovations

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Ambulance Drone for Overdose Response

VCU creates Center for Pharmaceutical Engineering and Sciences

College students present more than 100 prototypes, designs at VCU Engineering expo

MNE students receive scholarships from the U.S. Department of Energy and the American Nuclear Society

VCU hosts solar competition for middle schoolers

Senior academic advisor co-authors book on women of color in higher ed

VCU invention improves solar cell light harvesting

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Waterproof Osseointegration Covers

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Box Turtle Tracker

Q&A with Brian A. Taylor, Ph.D.

Capstone 2019 Highlight: DropLock

VCU students help Richmond high schoolers navigate the college application process

VCU researchers create new silk material for biomedical uses

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Wireless Neonatal Vital Sign Monitor

Q&A with Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D.

Doctoral candidate Xiang He receives award from Chinese government

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Quick Release Rowing Assistive Grips

Hong-Sheng Zhou, Ph.D., receives Google Faculty Research Award

VCU programs rise in updated U.S. News & World Report rankings

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Dynamic Center-of-Gravity Display

Capstone 2019 Highlight: Anthem Operation Dashboard

VCU Engineering’s newest building has a past

Q&A with Carrie Peterson, Ph.D.

2019 Women in Engineering Luncheon

Multidisciplinary collaborations lead to advances in pharmaceutical synthesis

Nuclear engineering doctoral students receive best poster awards

New chemical and life science engineering Ph.D. program approved

Professional Development for Engineers

VCU students pitch innovative ideas to improve health, education and energy

Medicines for All Institute develops new, cost-saving synthesis of anti-HIV drug

VCU Engineering faculty elected senior members of the National Academy of Inventors

Alumnus credits VCU as the catalyst for his success

VCU Engineering’s billboard campaign begins

VCU College of Engineering to host the American Nuclear Society National Student Conference

VCU’s DAR newsletter features Brian Campbell

Alumni Update: Isaac Rodriguez and SweetBio

VCU College of Engineering is in the news as Virginia prepares for arrival of Amazon HQ2

VCU and VUU to offer dual degrees in physics and engineering or chemistry and engineering this fall

Richmond heat map project wins Smart 50 Award

Device created by VCU students could address issues with incubator covers for premature babies

International award-winning technology protects the power grid by hacking would-be hackers

2018 Year in Review

Massey scientists develop world’s most advanced drug delivery system with the highest tumor-targeting ability

Tang studies nanoparticles as a means to develop more effective treatments for drug-resistant solid tumors

5

Nov

AIChE @ VCU: LGBTQ+ & Allies Sweets Social

7:00 PM–8:00 PM

Virtual

19

Nov

Alumni Third Thursday

5:00 PM–6:00 PM

Virtual

6

Nov

Bench to Community - Translating New Ideas Into Clinical Practice

7:00 AM–8:30 AM

Virtual

18

Nov

BME Seminar with Carrie Perlman, Ph.D.

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

28

Oct

BME Seminar with Douglas J. Millay, Ph.D.

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

4

Nov

BME Seminar with Fabrisia Ambrosio, Ph.D.

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

11

Nov

BME Seminar with Manuel Rausch, Ph.D.

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

28

Oct

CLSE Seminar with Hema Ramsurn, Ph.D.

1:00 PM–2:00 PM

Virtual

30

Oct

Dissertation Defense with Aashish Dhungana

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

6

Nov

Dissertation Defense with Seyran Saeedi

12:00 PM–1:00 PM

Virtual

4

Nov

Dominion Energy Virtual Recruitment Day

10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Virtual

11

Nov

Info/AWS Tech Talk with RamDev

4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Virtual

29

Oct

International Student Career Series: Alumni Panel

4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Virtual

26

Oct

International Student Career Series Workshops

4:00 PM–5:00 PM

Virtual

17

Nov

LIFE Talk with Daniel Kimminau

5:30 PM–6:30 PM

Virtual

6

Nov

MNE Seminar with Michael Simpson Ph.D.

1:00 PM–1:50 PM

Virtual

20

Nov

National Absurdity Day

8:00 AM–10:00 PM

Sidewalk on Main Street that borders East Hall

1

Nov

Pet Photo Contest

12:00 PM–12:00 PM

Online

28

Oct

Rock Central Virtual Recruitment Day

10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Virtual

2

Dec

Self Care Zoom Call

8:00 PM–8:30 PM

Virtual

11

Nov

Summer Internships at Richmond's Fortune 500 companies

3:00 PM–4:00 PM

Virtual

29

Oct

SWE Halloween Party

7:00 PM–8:00 PM

Virtual

11

Nov

Trane Virtual Recruitment Day

10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Virtual

18

Nov

UNOS Virtual Recruitment Day

10:00 AM–5:00 PM

Virtual

28

Oct

VCU Alumni Pitch Competition

6:00 PM–7:30 PM

Virtual

31

Oct

7:00 AM–3:00 PM

Engineering East Hall, multiple locations

30

Oct

VCU Workshop on Sustainable Food Access through Sensing, Data Analytics, and Community Engagement

9:00 AM–4:00 PM

Virtual

13

Nov

World Kindness Day

8:00 AM–10:00 PM

Online

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