Pu Chen

Pu Chen is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo. He is also the Canada Research Chair in Biomanufacturing.

Professor Chen’s research is at the interface of materials, biomedicine and energy. It involves the application of physical chemistry, surface thermodynamics, solid state physics, biochemistry and molecular cell biology to biomedical and chemical engineering systems.

He aims to design and measure the molecular interaction, nanostructure formation and adsorption kinetics of peptides, DNA, Small Interfering RNA (siRNA), proteins, surfactants and polymers in solution or at interfaces. The research applies techniques emerging from innovations in nanotechnology, genomics, proteomics and nano/microelectronics to issues found in nanomedicine, biomaterials, colloid and surface science.

Practical applications of Professor Chen’s research include drug and gene delivery; peptide-DNA/RNA binding; protein-lipid interactions, lipid bilayer and cell membrane actions; therapeutic lung surfactants; and emulsification, coating, painting, and thin films. His research also applies to surface mass and heat transfer; molecular/microsensors; nanotube membranes and bioseparation; biofuel cells; molecular sensing and nanocellular foaming of polymers. Professor Chen’s lab has significantly impacted the success of many emerging energy, biomedical and chemical technologies. His research has also resulted in the creation of a start-up company that works with nano-peptide technology.

In addition to Professor Chen’s research work, he is the author and co-author of over 240 refereed journal publications. He has also written “Molecular Interfacial Phenomena of Polymers and Biopolymers”, as well as numerous book chapters.