Stanford
Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering Faculty Research

Stanford Nano Shared Facility staffer Xiaoqing Xu works on the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system.

Faculty Research Topics

Our Chemical Engineering research groups are currently focusing on:

Monther Abu-Remaileh | Metabolism, Biotechnology, Neurodegeneration
Zhenan Bao | Flexible Electronics, Bioelectronics, Batteries
Stacey Bent | Surface, Catalysis, Batteries, Microelectronics
Matteo Cargnello | Nanocrystals, Catalysis, Sustainability
Joseph DeSimone | Polymer Science, Additive Manufacturing
Alexander Dunn | Protein Engineering, Mechanobiology
Gerald Fuller | Complex Liquids, Emulsions, Biofilms
Xiaojing Gao | Synthetic Biology
Brian Hie | Machine Learning, Protein Engineering
Thomas Jaramillo | Catalysis, Sustainability, Energy
Chaitan Khosla | Enzymology, Metabolism
Danielle Mai | Biopolymers, Soft Materials
Rebecca Pinals | Nanobiotechnology, Neurodegeneration, Neurovascular Tissue Engineering
Jian Qin | Theory/Modeling, Charged Polymers
Ellen Rim | Synthetic Biology, Plant Biology, Sustainability
Elizabeth Sattely | Plant Chemistry for Plant & Human Health
Eric Shaqfeh | Complex Fluids, Computational Modeling
Andrew Spakowitz | Modeling, Polymers, Biomaterials
James Swartz | Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Vaccines
Sho Takatori | Complex Fluids, Soft Materials, Data-Driven Computational Modeling
William Tarpeh | Catalysis, Separations, Water Treatment

Major Achievements

The following achievements have been made in the field of Chemical Engineering by researchers at Stanford and beyond:

  • Development of materials for green energy technologies, including solar cells, batteries, and catalysts for chemical conversion.
  • Design and synthesis of next generation flexible and stretchable electronics for wearable and implantable electronics, chemical sensors, and robotics.
  • Production of life-saving antibiotics such as penicillin and vaccines for diseases from polio to COVID-19.
  • Establishment of mass-production technologies (including cell-free and plant-based synthesis) of protein therapeutics such as insulin, human growth-hormone, and monoclonal antibodies.
  • Discovery of nitrogen-fixing fertilizers and water-purification technologies that revolutionize food production and stem world hunger.
  • Revolutionized manufacturing by developing 3D printing materials and technologies.
  • Engineering plants to make them more nutritious, weather resistance or to produce useful chemicals.
  • Characterization of the physical properties of living systems, providing targeted treatment of bacterial infection in cancer tissue and implanted devices, chronic dry eye, and COVID-19.
  • Waste water treatment and recovery of valuable products.
Chem-H Building

Research & Training Centers

The research groups within our department benefit from the unique research environment at Stanford University. Our faculty are associated with a number of Research and Training Centers at Stanford University that provide experimental facilities as well as training opportunities.