Helena Hagelin Weaver, Ph.D., working in a chemical engineering lab with catalyst testing equipment, wearing safety glasses and a blue UF polo.

UF researcher catalyzing change in methane conversion

November 19, 2025

University of Florida chemical engineering researcher Helena Hagelin Weaver, Ph.D., is uncovering how the structure of catalyst materials can dramatically improve the efficiency of methane conversion. Her team’s findings, recently published in ACS Catalysis, reveal how manipulating nanoscale support structures can boost methane oxidation at lower temperatures — a key step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enabling more sustainable chemical production.

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Chemical Engineering Professor Piyush Jain, Ph.D., is shown in his lab at UF Innovate.

A giant LEAP toward faster, smarter genetic testing for cancer

November 19, 2025

UF researchers have developed a breakthrough CRISPR upgrade — called CRISPR-LEAP — that can target nearly any DNA sequence, potentially transforming cancer detection, infectious disease testing and personalized medicine.

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Shubham Ravan smiling outdoors in front of greenery.

From semiconductors to table tennis. Meet Shubham Ravan

November 14, 2025

Shubham Ravan, a first-year master’s student in chemical engineering, specializes in semiconductor fabrication and scaling processes from lab to commercial applications. He recently received the department’s MS Research, Leadership and Service Excellence Award and serves as the graduate cohort representative. Outside the lab, he stays active with badminton and table tennis and enjoys reading science fiction and biographies.

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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. 

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Taofeek Tejuosho

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.

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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.

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Familiar faces selected to lead UF Engineering departments

June 17, 2025

The Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering has announced three departmental leadership changes.   Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment  Kurtis Gurley, Ph.D., a longtime civil engineering professor and former ESSIE associate director, has been named the interim director of the school, replacing Kirk Hatfield, Ph.D., who has returned to teaching.  “Kirk Hatfield’s successful tenure is […]

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Jain named Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors

February 21, 2025

Nian Wang, J. R. (Rip) Graves Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), and Piyush Jain, Exxon Mobil Gator Alumni Faculty Endowed Professor and associate professor in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, have been named Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors, the organization announced today. They […]

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UF engineers develop new protocol to purify DNA

January 21, 2025

A UF team has developed a microfluidic device for DNA purification that could speed up analysis of laboratory samples and match or exceed the purity of existing methods.

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UF researchers go nano to ease osteoarthritis

November 26, 2024

Equipped with a cutting-edge nanoparticle imaging technology, federal funds and a quest to quash pain, researchers at the University of Florida are working to revolutionize osteoarthritis treatments.

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