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Category: Research

NIH-funded team led by Berndt lab aims to supercharge protein sensor engineering

April 29, 2026

April 29, 2026 Congratulations to Berndt lab on receiving an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) BRAIN Initiative. In an article produced by the Institute for Stem-Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) and UW Medicine, learn how MolES faculty members Andre Berndt, associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and Doug Fowler, [...]

MolES Student Spotlight: Daniel Mendoza

April 27, 2026

April 27, 2026 Q: What is your hometown?A: I’m originally from San Jose, California. Q: What are the three rotations you have been part of during your first year?A: First rotation: Bioengineering (creating logic-responsive hydrogels out of cross-linked proteins in the Cole DeForest lab. Second rotation: Materials Science (tuning the mechanical properties of bacterial cellulose [...]

Microbial Scientific Exchange researchers

MolES’ Scientific Exchange sparks microbial engineering collaborations

April 21, 2026

April 21, 2026 On April 8, the University of Washington Molecular Engineering and Sciences (MolES) Institute hosted a Scientific Exchange on Microbial Engineering to catalyze new collaborations, share tools and expertise, and seed pilot projects. Held in Foege Hall, the event convened 20 scientists from the Fred Hutch, Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), Pacific Northwest [...]

Shijie Cao’s PRIME Lab Receives NSF CAREER Award

April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026 Shijie Cao, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics, leads the PRIME Lab (Pharmaceutical Research in Immune & Microbiome Engineering Laboratory) at MolES. The lab’s research on the gut microbiome and the compounds it produces was recently recognized with a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. In this profile produced by UW [...]

Golder Lab Research Aims to Keep Plastics Out of Landfills

April 9, 2026

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Three MolES Faculty Researchers named AAAS Fellows

March 31, 2026

March 31, 2026 | Full UW News Release The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named MolES faculty members David Baker, Maitreya Dunham and David J. Masiello AAAS Fellows. They are among 449 newly elected fellows from around the world, who are recognized for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements” in science [...]

A mentor’s support turns curiosity into courage, doubt into discovery

March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026 Dr. Ayọ̀kúnlé Ọlánrewájú’s commitment to access connects students to meaningful research opportunities. In a profile produced by University of Washington Undergraduate Academic Affairs, learn how his mentorship and philosophy shapes research skills and professional confidence in undergraduates. [...]

Building batteries better

January 26, 2026

Looking beyond incremental innovations in energy storage technology, Jie Xiao wants to catalyze a robust domestic battery industry — from mining to manufacturing. Build a better mousetrap, the old saying goes, and the world will beat a path to your door. Build a better battery… and the multitudes should arrive in an endless stream of autonomous electric vehicles. Only, it’s not that simple with energy storage. Most battery innovations begin in academic environments that are designed for discovery rather than the cost, time and scale pressures of industry. [...]

Microfluidics for the masses

January 5, 2026

In his new book, “How the World Flows,” Albert Folch explores the miniature liquid networks that power natural phenomena, essential innovations and advanced biomedical devices. Rainbows and rubber trees. Aquifers and fountain pens. Gauze pads and glucose strips. Candle wicks and carburetors. Pregnancy tests and 3D printers. Dialysis machines and DNA sequencers. What’s the common denominator? Each is enabled by microfluidics, miniature networks of liquids whose stable properties, at tiny scale, are essential to powering the natural world — and much of the manufactured world, too. And each is explored in Albert Folch’s new book, “How the World Flows,” which invites readers to peer through the microscope into what he calls the “Lilliputian world of fluids at small scales.” [...]

Advancing water treatment for a sustainable future

October 6, 2025

UW Chemical Engineering graduate student Joelle Scott, from the Bergsman Research Group, is working toward a more sustainable and equitable future through advanced materials research, testing new methods to remove toxic forever chemicals and other contaminants from wastewater. [...]

Lifesaving star: Low volume resuscitant for prehospital treatment of severe hemorrhagic shock

July 23, 2024

Extensive blood loss after injuries is life-threatening and must be counteracted as fast as possible. Relatively small volume injections of solutions of a novel star-shaped polymer could compensate for fluid loss without disrupting coagulation. [...]

Q&A: How a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease could also work for Type 2 diabetes

April 16, 2024

Of the 38 million Americans who have diabetes at least 90% have Type 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes occurs over time and is characterized by a loss of the cells in the pancreas that make the hormone insulin, which helps the body manage sugar. [...]

Recruiting robots for materials discovery

April 11, 2024

Chemical engineers in the Pozzo Research Group are using open-source tools to build modular robots that can run multiple functions of complex experiments. This customizable framework helps alleviate the cost barrier of purchasing multiple, single-purpose commercial machines. [...]

Using computers to design proteins allows researchers to make tunable hydrogels that can form both inside and outside of cells

January 30, 2024

When researchers want to study how COVID makes us sick, or what diseases such as Alzheimer’s do to the body, one approach is to look at what’s happening inside individual cells. Researchers sometimes grow the cells in a 3D scaffold called a “hydrogel.” This network of proteins or molecules mimics the environment the cells would [...]

Retooling microbes to upcycle CO2

September 13, 2022

An interdisciplinary, UW-led team of synthetic biologists will embark on a 5-year, $15 million project to engineer microbial genomes that transform CO2 into high-value chemicals. [...]

2018-Copyright-Dennis-Hayes_Students-in-lab_5

Unlocking biotechnology with RNA

May 17, 2022

Two recent molecular engineering graduates launched a new startup, Wayfinder Biosciences, to commercialize their revolutionary platform to design RNA molecules that can be used to advance everything from sustainable biomanufacturing to targeted CRISPR therapies. [...]

Q&A: Making Earth-friendly electronics

April 21, 2022

Three UW researchers, including MolES faculty member Eleftheria Roumeli, are exploring ways to make electronics more Earth-friendly. [...]

Novel nanoparticle shows promise for treating aggressive breast cancer

March 17, 2022

Scientists at the University of Washington have recently developed a new nanoparticle-based drug delivery system that simultaneously delivers chemo- and immune- therapeutics directly to the tumor site, limiting harmful off-target side effects. In a paper published last November in Materials Today, they reported that their multifunctional nanoparticle can inhibit tumor growth and spread, also known as metastasis, in mouse models of triple negative breast cancer, an exceptionally aggressive form of breast cancer with limited treatment options. [...]

Corie L. Cobb awarded DARPA Director’s Fellowship

January 24, 2022

Corie L. Cobb, professor of mechanical engineering and the Washington Research Foundation Innovation Professor in Clean Energy, has been selected as recipient of the prestigious Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director's Fellowship Award. [...]

Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure announces new seed grants

January 6, 2022

To support the use of nanotechnology tools to develop innovative, new technologies, the Northwest Nanotechnology Infrastructure (NNI) is offering seed grants for work to be conducted in our fabrication or characterization facilities. These grants are designed to help users build and characterize prototypes, obtain preliminary results and conduct proof of concept studies. [...]