Undergraduate Research in CBE

Students are encouraged to consider undergraduate research to enrich their educational experience. Undergraduate research is conducted as an individual arrangement between a student and a faculty member. Students should contact faculty who direct research in areas that match their interests. There are three different designations for research.

CBE 48901: Undergraduate Research
This is the course that students should sign up for as their first experience in research. This is a one credit course, and involves a minimum commitment of 4-5 hours/wk. This course is S/U, may be taken more than once, but does not satisfy the technical elective degree requirement.
CBE 48902: Advanced Undergraduate Research
This is a three credit course on which students should expect to spend 12-15 hours per week. Successful completion of CBE 48901 or a summer (or academic year) research internship in the Department is a prerequisite for enrolling in CBE 48902. It can be counted as a technical elective and students must produce a written report of their results at the end of the semester. This course is graded, and may be repeated.
CBE 48903: Undergraduate Thesis
This is a three credit course which is normally taken in the final semester. Successful completion of CBE 48901, CBE 48902 or a summer (or academic year) research internship in the Department is a prerequisite for enrolling in CBE 48903. Students are required to produce a substantial written document that will be defended orally to a committee of CBE faculty. This course can be counted as a (3 credit) CBE elective, and may not be repeated. Examples of previous senior theses are available in the department office.

Notes:

In the normal curriculum we have two tech electives and two CBE electives. It is possible for a student to use 48902 to fulfill one of the tech electives and 48903 to fulfill one of the CBE elective slots. Cumulative credits for 48901 do not fulfill either requirement. The second tech elective must be a lecture course.
For students transferring into the department from science, AL, etc. who have not taken EG10111/10112, they are normally required to take tech electives to replace these courses. Such a student could take 48902 multiple times to fulfill these additional tech elective requirements.
Students may have a principal advisor from outside the department, but should have a CBE co-advisor for 48903, and must have a CBE faculty member on the evaluating committee.

When you should do it

Students are encouraged to think about doing research in the spring of their sophomore year, possibly leading to work over the summer, advanced undergraduate research in their junior year, and thesis research in their senior year. Although students have done research earlier in their studies, it is generally a good idea to master the material in their courses first - and then apply the knowledge gained to their research.

How to pick an advisor

In general, the best way to find an advisor is to do some research on what projects are going on in the department. You should look through this research, and determine who is doing work which most closely matches your interests. Once you have identified a few possibilities, contact the professor and see if there are any opportunities available for undergraduates in their research group (the answer is usually yes, although some of the more popular projects may become oversubscribed). Once you and the faculty member have reached agreement on the project outlines and expectations, notify Lisa Ellam [lellam@nd.edu] in the CBE office to obtain the necessary waivers, and sign up for CBE 48901.

Current Research Areas

To make your search a little easier, I've attached a set of links which (provided the Google Scholar search engine is working properly), bring up lists of recent papers by our faculty. Using the "Find Text" link, you can read the papers...

	Basar Bilgicer Associate Professor Recent Publications Office: 205C McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.1429 Email: bbilgicer@nd.edu	Multivalent biomolecular interactions are very important in biological systems. A deeper understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of multivalent interactions in biological systems is imperative in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents. My lab focuses on both understanding the basic dynamic principles of multivalent biomolecular interactions, as well as design of multivalent therapeutic and diagnostic molecules which will deliver novel solutions to complex diseases (e.g. cancer, autoimmune diseases, and allergies).
	Paul Bohn Schmitt Professor Recent Publications Office: 301 Cushing Hall Phone: 574.631.1849 Email: pbohn@nd.edu	Dr. Bohn's research interests include: (a) integrated nanofluidic and microfluidic chemical measurement strategies for personal monitoring, (b) chemical and biochemical sensing in mass-limited samples, (c) smart materials, and (d) molecular approaches to nanotechnology.
	Merlin Bruening Professor Recent Publications Office: 140C McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.3024 Email: mbruenin@nd.edu	Ion Separations with Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Membranes. In this project we deposit polyelectrolyte multilayer films on ion-exchange substrates to create membranes with monovalent/divalent ion selectivities >1000. Current work focuses on understanding the factors (selective partitioning, electrostatic exclusion, and selective diffusion) that create these remarkable selectivities, as well as increasing membrane stability for long-term applications. Undergraduates may participate in simulation of ion transport or synthesis of new membranes and studies of ion transport. Membrane-based Protein Digestion and Analysis. This work focuses on developing membranes for selective capture and sequencing of antibodies. We immobilize antibody epitopes in porous membranes to capture specific antibodies from matrices such as human serum. Subsequent elution may lead to new methods for analyses of therapeutic antibodies. We are also developing protease-containing membranes to controllably digest antibodies for de novo sequencing by mass spectrometry. Undergraduates may participate in all aspects of the project.
	Hsueh-Chia Chang Bayer Professor Recent Publications Office: 118B Cushing Hall Phone: 574.631.5697 Email: hchang@nd.edu	We develop portable molecular diagnostic devices for global health care. Instead of using expensive equipment like real-time PCR, we design low-cost biochips that can be powered by a laptop and can allow Cloud data transmission and analysis, thus providing advanced medical diagnostic technologies to remote areas with low resources. We are currently working on devices for diagnosing dengue fever, sepsis, oral cancer and other diseases.
	Patricia Clark Concurrent Professor Recent Publications Office: 445 Stepan Chemistry Phone: 574.631.8353 Email: pclark1@nd.edu	Professor Clark's research interests include: (a) protein folding and aggregation, specifically the mechanisms by which beta-sheet-rich proteins avoid misfolding, (b) the development of novel biomaterials constructed from controlled assembly of beta-sheet proteins into structural scaffolds (c) protein translation by the ribosome, specifically the influence of appearance of the nascent protein from N-to-C-terminus on its folding mechanism, and (d) secretion of proteins across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, specifically the autotransporter (Type Va) secretion mechanism.
	Thomas Degnan Professor Recent Publications Office: 240C McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.2617 Email: tdegnan1@nd.edu	My research involves three areas : (1) the use of heterogeneous catalysis to convert low value hydrocarbons, including light alkanes and heavy residua, to more valuable petrochemicals. Particular focus is on the confluence of heterogeneous catalysis (supported metal catalysts and zeolites) for the conversion of products from hydrocracked reservoirs (light alkanes and long chain alkanes). (2) Synthesis of new microporous and mesoporous materials and application of these materials as adsorbents and catalysts for hydrocarbon conversions and environmental applications. (3) analyses of disruptive technologies and business models for the petroleum and petrochemical industries. The focus of this research is on cases in the past where the two “related” industries been forced to make major changes. The goal is to try to develop technical or business triggers that could anticipate major changes / disruptions in the future.
	Alex Dowling Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 123A Cushing Hall Phone: 574.631.4041 Email: adowling@nd.edu	In the Dowling Lab, we seek to develop novel mathematical modeling and computational frameworks to optimize energy technologies across materials, devices, and systems length and timescales, as well as in the context of infrastructures. This multiscale perspective naturally facilitates both bottom-up and top-down thinking such as: Rapidly assess the potential of new materials to impact devices, systems, and infrastructures. Use infrastructure level goals (e.g., renewable adoption, emission reductions, limited water use, etc.) to set design priorities for material, device, and system-level metrics. Discover new materials, devices, and systems that can help mitigate uncertainty and lead to more resilient infrastructures.
	David Go Concurrent Associate Professor Recent Publications Office: 370 Fitzpatrick Hall Phone: 574.631.8394 Email: dgo@nd.edu	Dr. Go's research group examines a number of aspects of fluid, energy, and charge transport. Active areas of research include the development of atmospheric pressure plasma sources for electrochemical applications, nanomaterial synthesis, and energy applications, the development of microfluidic and aerosol spray techniques for chemical and biological analysis, and various topics in heat transfer including nanoscale effects and building energy efficiency.
	Ruilan Guo Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 205E McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.3453 Email: rguo@nd.edu	Dr. Ruilan Guo's primary research interests are focused on development and characterization of novel polymeric materials with applications in the areas impacting both energy and the environment. Topics of her research include studies on molecular design, synthesis and characterization of new copolymers for cleaner energy production (fuel cells), high performance polymer membranes for gas/liquid separations and water purification, structure-property relationship of polymer networks/gels, atomistic study on polymer free volume, and polymer coatings.
	Jason Hicks Associate Professor Recent Publications Office: 240B McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.3661 Email: jhicks3@nd.edu	Our research group is primarily focused in the area of heterogeneous catalysis. We seek to understand how the properties and structures of catalysts affect activity and selectivity for specific reactions. We couple our experimental results with detailed characterization of the heterogeneous catalysts to develop relationships between the catalyst structure and the resulting catalytic activity. We currently have projects focused on the synthesis and characterization of new catalytic materials for biofuels applications. For these reactions, we examine many catalytic processes to convert biomass to biofuels: catalytic pyrolysis, catalytic liquefaction, and gasification. In other projects, we are employing new synthesis procedures to enhance the stability of metal-organic framework catalytic materials.
	Davide Hill Associate Professor Recent Publications Office: 173 Fitzpatrick Hall Phone: 574.631.8487 Email: hill.1@nd.edu	Professor Hill's research focuses on the physics of polymers and liquid crystals, with emphasis on microstructure and rheology. The study of elasticity-induced, particle-particle interactions in liquid crystalline media, offers fertile grounds for new discoveries on fundamental and technological importance. Successful utilization of newly-synthesized liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) hinges on careful control of molecular orientation within the material. Molecular orientation at solid boundaries can be influenced by particular surface treatments.
	Prashant Kamat Concurrent Professor Recent Publications Office: 206 Radiation Lab Phone: 574.631.5411 Email: kamat.1@nd.edu	Our research efforts in recent years have focused on the topics related to semiconductor & metal nanoclusters, photoresponsive organic-inorganic hybrid nanoassemblies, solar cells and surface photochemistry and radiation chemistry. The main emphasis of our research is to elucidate the mechanistic and kinetic details of charge transfer processes in heterogeneous assemblies with an objective to improve energy conversion efficencies. Our recent work in the area of chromophore functionalized metal nanoparticles and improved catalytic activity of semiconductor-metal-graphene composites is a significant contribution towards the development of novel heterogeneous systems for light energy conversion.
	Jeffrey Kantor Professor Recent Publications Office: 176 Fitzpatrick Hall Phone: 574.631.5797 Email: kantor.1@nd.edu	Dr. Kantor is interested in the analysis and optimization of integrated financial and process operations using methods of stochastic control, convex optimization, and quantitative finance.
	Peter Kilpatrick Professor and Dean of the College of Engineering Recent Publications Office: 257 Fitzpatrick Phone: 574.631.5534 Email: pkilpat1@nd.edu	Dr. Kilpatrick's research interests focus on the self assembly of molecules at fluid interfaces and their associated properties in emulsions, thin films, and other soft matter micro and nanostructures. Applications include the stabilization of emulsions in a number of industries, including the petroleum, food, and cosmetics industries.
	Tanyel Kiziltepe Assistant Research Professor Recent Publications Office: 105 Cushing Hall Phone: 631.1603 Email: tkiziltepe@nd.edu	Pre-clinical drug validation in cancers Nanoparticle based drug delivery Biochemical stabilization of biomolecular therapeutics
	David Leighton Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies Recent Publications Office: 240E McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.6698 Email: dtl@nd.edu	Particles in suspensions will migrate across streamlines due to mechanisms including inertia, deformation, stress gradients, and flow curvature. These migration phenomena are important in processes as varied as cell separation systems, blood flow through arteries, injection molding of filled polymer composites, and fabrication of solid rocket motors. Our research is focused on a fundamental investigation of the causes and implications of this migration in complex flow geometries, and exploration of the ways it may be used to design novel separation processes.
	Edward Maginn Professor and Department Chair Recent Publications Office: 171 Fitzpatrick Hall Phone: 574.631.5687 Email: ed@nd.edu	The research in our group focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of the link between the physical properties of materials and their chemical constitution. Much of our work is devoted to environmentally related applications, both in remediation and environmentally benign chemical processing (i.e. prevention). The main tool we use is molecular simulation. In this approach, a detailed geometric and energetic model of the material of interest is created and then simulated using large scale high performance computing. By subjecting the resulting molecular conformations to statistical mechanical analysis, macroscopic properties may be computed.
	Mark McCready Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Recent Publications Office: 240G McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.7146 Email: mjm@nd.edu	Multiphase fluid flows in confined geometries CO2 absorption and reaction in multiphase systems Micro fuel cell technologies Fundamentals of phase change processes
	Paul McGinn Professor Recent Publications Office: 178 Fitzpatrick Hall Phone: 574.631.6151 Email: pmcginn@nd.edu	Professor McGinn's primary research interests are in the areas of the processing and properties of advanced materials. Current research programs are aimed at developing the processing tools and screening instrumentation for combinatorial materials development and discovery. The combinatorial approach to materials research employs parallel (or automated serial) processing to create large "libraries" of material compositions, followed by parallel (or automated serial) testing to characterize the compositions for a specific property of interest. Much of the potential of the combinatorial approach rests on the development of rapid means to screen libraries for a property of interest. Over the past several years his group has developed and put in place a wide range of automated processing and characterization tools for combinatorial research. These are being applied to develop new fuel cell electrocatalysts, proton conductors, battery electrode materials, among other materials
	Alexander Mukasyan Research Professor Recent Publications Office: 310 Cushing Hall Phone: 574.631.9825 Email: amoukasi@nd.edu	Nanotechnology and novel alternative energy sources, including synthesis of Nano-Materials, Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Production and Storage.
	Casey O'Brien Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 240D McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.5706 Email: cobrie23@nd.edu	Catalytic surface structure and composition Membrane spectroscopy
	William Phillip Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 205F McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.2708 Email: wphillip@nd.edu	The Water purification and Advanced Transport Engineering Research (WATER) Laboratory examines how membrane structure and chemistry affect the transport of solutes and solvents across a variety of membranes. Our understanding of the connection between functionality and property is used to design and fabricate next-generation membranes that provide more precise control over the transport of chemical species. These material advantages are then leverage to design systems capable of enhancing chemical separations at the water-energy nexus. These principles are the motivation behind ongoing research projects.
	Jennifer Schaefer Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 205G McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.5114 Email: jschaef6@nd.edu	Batteries are used everyday in our portable electronics. More advanced energy storage technologies are required to enable alternative energy solutions and defense applications. We study the fundamental ion transport and reaction mechanisms in electrochemical energy storage materials.
	William Schneider Professor and Director of Graduate Admissions Recent Publications Office: 123B Cushing Hall Phone: 574.631.8754 Email: wschneider@nd.edu	The Schneider group uses first-principles, quantum mechanical models to compute chemical properties, like the shape and energy of molecules and their reaction pathways, at the molecular scale. These are computationally intensive models carried out on large computer clusters. Current interests are in studying process of importance to heterogeneous catalysis of environmentally important molecules, like the destruction of nitrogen oxides or the chemical conversion of carbon monoxides.
	Matthew Webber Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 205B McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.4246 Email: mwebber@nd.edu	The Webber Lab applies principles from molecular engineering to the design of new technologies, materials, and engineered systems. Specifically, we are interested in a rational design approach that leverages highly defined supramolecular interactions to create things that are tunable, dynamic, and responsive. We extend this fundamental perspective in the bottom-up design of materials to solving important problems in the areas of medicine, energy, and environmental remediation. Using a multidisciplinary approach that intersects the fields of chemistry, materials science, biology, and translational medicine, we aim to develop, test, and establish these technologies as highly controllable and highly functional solutions to inherently complex and important problems. Our dynamic team combines many skill sets and interests in a highly collaborative environment to create and evaluate fundamentally new technologies.
	Jonathan Whitmer Assistant Professor Recent Publications Office: 122 Cushing Hall Phone: 574-631-1417 Email: jwhitme1@nd.edu	Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Polyelectrolytes Liquid Crystalline Gels, Elastomers, and Sensors Colloidal Clustering and Assembly
	Jeremiah Zartman Assistant Professor Office: 205D McCourtney Hall Phone: 574.631.0455 Email: jzartman@nd.edu	Developing new strategies for building tissues and treating degenerative tissue diseases requires investigating animal development from an engineering perspective. Probing animal development with quantitative tools can potentially improve traditional methods of tissue engineering as well as inspire completely novel methods for creating synthetic organs. In the Zartman lab, we are focused on the systematic analysis of chemical and mechanical signaling at the tissue scale, including developing computational models of how cells self-organize into organs of the correct shape and size. We address these questions using experiments and modeling in systems such as Drosophila that are amenable to sophisticated genetic approaches, live imaging and in vitro culture. The main objective of the lab is to synthesize mechanistic models of two fundamental processes during development: 1. the control of organ growth, and 2. the organization of cellular sheets into three-dimensional structures. Chemical and biological engineers can contribute significantly toward understanding how organ size and shape are regulated by utilizing a diverse toolkit of skills: solving reaction-diffusion and transport problems, utilizing control and decision theory toward the reverse engineering of transcriptional networks, applying quantitative and statistical methods in the optimization of next-generation growth media for organ development in vitro, and employing experimental knowledge in the analysis of soft materials.