News

Professor Elisabeth Prince, along with an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Toronto and Duke University, have developed hydrogels that imitate human tissue. The synthetic material is made from cellulose nanocrystals, which are extracted from wood pulp. The material is designed to mimic the fibrous nanostructures and properties of human tissues, thereby replicating its unique mechanical properties.

Three Department of Chemical Engineering professors have been named to the 2023 list of Highly Cited Researchers. They are recognized as innovative researchers who demonstrate significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research.

Professors Aiping Yu and Michael Fowler were among the researchers who made the prestigious list. Both Yu and Fowler have expertise in electrochemical engineering and energy storage systems.

A team of researchers from the University of Waterloo is working on a project to reduce CO₂ emissions. They are designing new materials that can minimize energy consumption while transforming CO₂ into valuable chemicals. The project is specifically focused on captured CO₂ from power plants, as well as from the iron, steel, and cement industries.

The research project is led by Professor Luis Ricardez-Sandoval, Canada Research Chair in Multiscale Modelling and Process Systems (Tier II). Two other professors from the Department of Chemical Engineering, University Research Chair, Professor Aiping Yu and Professor David Simakov, will utilize their expertise in advanced materials to contribute to the project.

Professor Mark Matsen is set to receive the Polymer Physics Group Founders’ Prize. Only 11 scholars have been awarded this prize since its inception in 2001. Matsen, who holds a joint position as a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is being honoured for his remarkable work on molecular self-assembly in polymeric systems involving block copolymers.