Research in Chemical and Biological Engineering
Striving to make the world a better place
Chemical and biological engineering research addresses global challenges, from renewable energy and sustainable chemicals to the development of novel therapeutics and biotechnologies, and the design of functional materials and beyond.
-
Biomedicine and biotechnology
We harness the power of synthetic biology, proteomics and genomics, nanotechnology and polymer science to create and control microbial, cell biological and immune systems. Our research addresses challenges in respiratory infections, neural disorders, antimicrobial resistance, cancer, metabolic disorders, regenerative medicine, and synthesis of bioproducts.
-
Energy and sustainability
At the forefront of sustainability in energy and materials, our faculty are leading advances in (electro)catalysis, synthetic biology, and materials science. Our research focuses on biomass and renewable energy utilization for the sustainable production of chemicals, performance materials, and fuels. Collaborative work and AI-driven computational tools accelerate our understanding and the development of cleaner processes.
-
Materials design and discovery
Our faculty use cutting-edge methods to design, discover, and characterize new materials for applications in clean energy, thermal management, information technology, transportation, manufacturing, smart agriculture, and medicine. Our research focuses on discovering new 1D and 2D nanomaterials, polymers, semiconductors, and biomaterials, aiming for a better society.
-
Modeling, simulation, and data science
Advanced computational methods and AI are used by our faculty to model complex chemical and biological systems across many length and time scales. This research contributes physical insight and guides experimental design, and it is being applied across a range of applications including dynamics of proteins and DNA, heterogeneous catalytic reactions, and multiphase flow.
Research facilities and laboratories
CBE laboratories are located in Sweeney Hall, Biorenewables Research Laboratory (BRL) and the Advanced Teaching Research Building (ATRB). We also use a wide range of facilities across the ISU campus, including (links below open new windows):
- Ames National Laboratory Sensitive Instrument Facility
- Chemical Instrumentation Facility
- DNA Facility
- Flow Cytometry Facility
- Genomic Technologies Facility
- High Performance Computing
- Materials Analysis and Research Laboratory
- Microelectronics Research Center
- Office of Biotechnology
- PolyCy Polymer Materials Characterization
- Roy J. Carver High Resolution Microscopy Facility
- W.M. Keck Metalobomic Research Laboratory
- W.M. Keck Microfabrication Facility
Collaborative research centers
(Links below open new windows)