Skip to main content
Jason Weaver, Ph.D.

UF researchers develop new ‘designer’ catalyst to create hydrogen gas 

November 10, 2025

University of Florida researchers have developed a new “designer” catalyst by combining platinum and chromium into atomic pairs within silver, enabling a more stable process for producing hydrogen gas. The breakthrough, led by Professor Jason Weaver, Ph.D., could improve energy conversion and reduce industrial costs. The team’s findings were published in Angewandte Chemie, a prestigious, peer-reviewed German journal.

Read more: UF researchers develop new ‘designer’ catalyst to create hydrogen gas  »
Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student Nima Ajayebi, left, and Assistant Professor Carl Denard, Ph.D., display a beaker of yeast used in their protease-inhibitor research at the University of Florida.

UF protease-inhibitor research targets better disease treatments

October 13, 2025

A University of Florida professor is developing a fast, powerful tool for blocking harmful human enzymes, a process that could result in better medicines and more precise treatments for diseases. 

Read more: UF protease-inhibitor research targets better disease treatments »
Elizabeth Aikman (back right) and her classmates look at the crystalline structure of gold nanoparticles on the transmission electron microscope.

This summer, UF biomaterials researcher Elizabeth Aikman was not in Kansas anymore 

October 7, 2025

University of Florida’s Elizabeth Aikman, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate studying biomaterials from Bombyx mori silk, attended summer school in California in July to advance her studies. Bombyx mori are also known as domestic silk moths and are economically important to the billion-dollar sericulture (silk) industry. 

Read more: This summer, UF biomaterials researcher Elizabeth Aikman was not in Kansas anymore  »
Albert DaCosta

From Gator to groundbreaker: Engineering alumnus shares lessons in grit, growth and giving back

September 29, 2025

Albert DaCosta (BS ‘98) returned to his old stomping grounds recently to discuss life after the University of Florida and offer advice for future graduates.

Read more: From Gator to groundbreaker: Engineering alumnus shares lessons in grit, growth and giving back »
Cong Sun, left, and her husband, Yunhan Chuai, pose with Professor Mark Orazem during a graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy of Yunhan Chuai

From one family to the next: Meet doctoral student Yunhan Chuai

September 29, 2025

Third-year doctoral University of Florida student Yunhan Chuai credits his parents with being “brave and supportive enough” to send him across the ocean to study engineering.   

Read more: From one family to the next: Meet doctoral student Yunhan Chuai »
Headshot of doctoral graduate Taofeek Tejuosho, Ph.D.

From computer experiments to accelerating design of materials impacting modern life: Meet Taofeek Tejuosho

September 29, 2025

With a background deeply rooted in engineering, Taofeek Tejuosho is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in chemical engineering working to accelerate the design and development of polymer materials for diverse technological applications.

Read more: From computer experiments to accelerating design of materials impacting modern life: Meet Taofeek Tejuosho »
From left, Professor Piyush Jain, surgeon Rushi Shah, Santosh Rananaware and Venkata Vijaya Karthik Narisetty are shown next to a normothermic pump in their CasNx lab in UF Innovate. Photo courtesy of Rushi Shah. 

UF researchers ‘rewriting organ biology’ with revolutionary transplant technology 

August 12, 2025

The goal: Healthier organs ready for transplant. The UF-developed process stands to revolutionize organ transplants and post-surgical treatment.

Read more: UF researchers ‘rewriting organ biology’ with revolutionary transplant technology  »
Sunil Roy, Ph.D.

Alumni Spotlight: Sunil Roy reflects on his ‘profound’ time at UF

July 11, 2025

Sunil Roy’s journey started in India, wove though Gainesville and – for now – landed him in Silicon Valley. He came back to UF in January and spoke to students about those years, and more specifically, his experiences at the University of Florida.  

Read more: Alumni Spotlight: Sunil Roy reflects on his ‘profound’ time at UF »
An image of the Units Ops Lab from the 1960s shot from above the distillation towers looking down.

Building Memories: thin walls, loud toilets and an elevator with a view  

July 11, 2025

Professor Mark Orazem started with the University of Florida in 1988, nearly 20 years after the current Chemical Engineering building was constructed. What does he remember most?  His office door.  “Because of the building’s shifting, unstable foundation, I would be unable to open the door to my office,” said Orazem, now a distinguished professor and […]

Read more: Building Memories: thin walls, loud toilets and an elevator with a view   »
Joshua Moon, Ph.D.

CAREER Award-winning Joshua Moon comes full circle with NSF

July 7, 2025

Department faculty Joshua Moon recently won a coveted National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award, the foundation’s premier honor recognizing rising academic leaders.  

Read more: CAREER Award-winning Joshua Moon comes full circle with NSF »

ChemE Cube Team Qualifies for National Finals

June 6, 2025

An elite team of student scientists and their “cube” qualified for the AIChE ChemE Cube national finals recently through a virtual presentation.

Read more: ChemE Cube Team Qualifies for National Finals »
The CHE student center

Student Center Reopens

May 4, 2025

UF Chemical Engineering students, faculty and staff recently celebrated the reopening of the newly renovated Chemical Engineering Student Center and Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., department chair, took a few moments to explain the background of the building, as well as future plans to remodel the entire chemical engineering building. The Student Center was first opened on […]

Read more: Student Center Reopens »

Two Ph.D. Candidates Receive Prestigious Fellowships 

May 4, 2025

Caroline Lubbe and Aniela Nozka, both Ph.D. candidates in chemical engineering, were recently selected to receive the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GFRP).   “This highly competitive fellowship aims to ensure the quality, vitality, and strength of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States,” said Carlos Rinaldi-Ramos, Ph.D., chair of the […]

Read more: Two Ph.D. Candidates Receive Prestigious Fellowships  »

Student Spotlight: Hsiao-Hsuan “Renee” Wan

May 4, 2025

What do chemical engineering, the aurora borealis, semiconductors and badminton all have in common? That would be Hsiao-Hsuan (Renee) Wan, a third-year chemical engineering Ph.D. student.  Wan came to her academic choice organically because her Taiwanese family has a strong background in chemical engineering. Her mother holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and her father […]

Read more: Student Spotlight: Hsiao-Hsuan “Renee” Wan »