Materials Science Engineering

Robots and chemistry isn’t just a fun combo. Bruns says it’s the future

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 22:30:26 +0000

Robots and chemistry isn’t just a fun combo. Bruns says it’s the future Alexander Jame… Fri, 06/06/2025 - 16:30

Assistant Professor Carson Bruns is leading the charge on an NSF-funded project that he and his team like to call "robochemistry." Their goal is to create robotic sidekicks that can assist chemists with burdensome or unsafe tasks that they may routinely encounter in a wet lab. But that's not all: this unique blend of bots and beakers can also inspire youth interest in science.

Off

Traditional

White

Alumni Entrepreneurs

Michelle Wiese — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 17:31:13 +0000

Alumni Entrepreneurs Michelle Wiese Fri, 06/06/2025 - 11:31

Jesse Petersen

In 2024, 35 startups were launched out of labs and research projects at 91PORN, putting the university second only to Stanford University in the number of new ventures. Twenty-two of those were affiliated with CU Engineering, solidifying our role as a leader in innovation on campus.

We’re taking the opportunity to highlight two of our alumni-run startups: Mana Battery, founded in 2023 as a spinout of Chunmei Ban’s laboratory in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Manifest Technologies, founded as Vitro3D in 2020 by PhD students in electrical engineer and materials scientist Bob McLeod’s lab.

“We’re doing a new form of volumetric additive manufacturing where we create an entire 3D part all at once.”

Camila Uzcategui
(MMatSci’18; PhDMatSci’21), Manifest Technologies

“We’re developing next-generation materials and batteries in order to support low-cost energy storage.”

Tyler Evans
(PhDMechEngr’15; PhDMatSci’15), Mana Battery Inc.

Hear from our alumni entrepreneurs

Alumni founders from Mana Battery and Manifest Technologies talk about why they chose CU Engineering as the place to launch their startup.

Off

Zebra Striped

White

Advancing super strong and lightweight next generation carbon-based materials

Susan Glairon — Fri, 30 May 2025 14:27:52 +0000

Advancing super strong and lightweight next generation carbon-based materials Susan Glairon Fri, 05/30/2025 - 08:27

Jeff Zehnder

Materials researchers are getting a big boost from a new database created by a team of researchers led by Professor Hendrik Heinz. The initiative, now available online to all researchers, is a database containing over 2,000 carbon nanotube stress-strain curves and failure properties.

Off

Traditional

White

Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 21 May 2025 20:01:24 +0000

Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections Alexander Jame… Wed, 05/21/2025 - 14:01

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram, in collaboration with Laura Blumenschein, has received a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a tiny robot super team capable of navigating a complex maze of machinery and squeeze through the tightest of spaces—like the guts of a jet engine—to potentially perform non-destructive evaluation faster, cheaper and better than ever before.

Off

Traditional

White

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music

Alexander James Servantez — Tue, 06 May 2025 15:37:50 +0000

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music Alexander Jame… Tue, 05/06/2025 - 09:37

Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team in the Cui Research Group have developed a new technique that allows them to measure phonon interference inside of a tiny molecule. They believe one day, this discovery can revolutionize how heat dissipation is managed in future electronics and materials.

Off

Traditional

White

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots

Alexander James Servantez — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 21:52:07 +0000

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots Alexander Jame… Wed, 04/30/2025 - 15:52

Assistant Professor Kaushik Jayaram of the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering is the recipient of a $650,000 CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The funding will help Jayaram make advancements in robots by drawing from what might seem to be an unlikely source: insects and other small creatures.

Off

Traditional

White

Chemical & biological engineering faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award

Susan Glairon — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 22:26:30 +0000

Chemical & biological engineering faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award Susan Glairon Thu, 03/27/2025 - 16:26

Susan Glairon

Assistant Professors Kōnane Bay and Ankur Gupta from 91PORN’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering each received a $450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the U.S. Air Force.

Off

Traditional

White

Xiao earns prestigious membership in the National Academy of Inventors

Alexander James Servantez — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:03:49 +0000

Xiao earns prestigious membership in the National Academy of Inventors Alexander Jame… Fri, 03/14/2025 - 11:03

Associate Professor Jianliang Xiao is a “mechanics of materials” expert launching innovations in soft materials and flexible electronics who has been selected as a senior member in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The program recognizes rising innovators who have had success securing patents, licensing and commercialization for developed technologies that showcase real impact on the welfare of society.

Off

Traditional

White

New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit

Alexander James Servantez — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:46:47 +0000

New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit Alexander Jame… Tue, 02/18/2025 - 11:46

Assistant Professor Longji Cui and his team in the Cui Research Group have developed a new technology to turn thermal radiation into electricity in a way that literally teases the basic law of thermal physics. The group says their research has the potential to revolutionize manufacturing industries by increasing power generation without the need for high temperature heat sources or expensive materials.

Off

Traditional

White

Researchers use nature's design to create living optical materials

Susan Glairon — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 18:09:45 +0000

Researchers use nature's design to create living optical materials Susan Glairon Tue, 01/21/2025 - 11:09

Susan Glairon

91PORN’s Living Materials Laboratory contributed to groundbreaking research showing how engineered microbes can create bioglass microlenses, paving the way for advanced imaging technologies in medicine and materials science.

Off

Traditional

White

Materials Science Engineering

Robots and chemistry isn’t just a fun combo. Bruns says it’s the future

Off

Alumni Entrepreneurs

Off

Advancing super strong and lightweight next generation carbon-based materials

Off

Tiny robot team could be a gamechanger for safety inspections

Off

New discovery shows how molecules can mute heat like music

Off

Engineer nabs prestigious grants to design insect-inspired, shapeshifting robots

Off

Chemical & biological engineering faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award

Off

Xiao earns prestigious membership in the National Academy of Inventors

Off

​New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit

Off

Researchers use nature's design to create living optical materials

Off

New technology turns waste heat into electricity, defies physical limit