Research

Chemical Engineering at Lafayette College engages in active research in a diverse range of exciting fields.

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lafayette College conducts cutting-edge research with broad applications across critical sectors, including energy, food, water, medicine, manufacturing, and molecular biology. Students collaborate directly with faculty members to advance knowledge while simultaneously developing essential technical, communication, and problem-solving skills. The Department’s research portfolio is organized around three core pillars – Advanced Materials, Biomolecular Engineering, and Environment, Energy, and Sustainability – with many projects exploring the intersections of these key areas.

Research Areas

Environment, Energy, and Sustainability

Chemical engineering is vital towards the development of scalable and impactful solutions for the world's most critical challenges in environment, energy, and sustainability. These research areas encompass the overall life cycle of natural and industrial processes, from sustainable sourcing to minimizing waste and impacts on humans and the environ

Advanced Material Design and Characterization

Chemical engineers design and development materials that drive innovation and technologies across industries. Applying principles of chemistry, physics, and engineering, they create materials with properties tailored to meet the demands of everything from sustainable packaging and biomedical devices to aerospace components and renewable energy.

Biomolecular Engineering

The integration of biology, engineering, and math is critical for the successful engineering solutions to related health and human diseases and energy.

"I was afforded the incredible opportunity to be in the driver's seat early on in my research career. I was already confident in my abilities to use my critical thinking and problem-solving skills to lead my own research project upon entering my graduate program."

Kat DiLillo '18

MIT, Postdoc, Computational Biologist, Science Communicator