Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering

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Research Overview

BCOE is home to cutting-edge, high-risk, profoundly creative research. We're invested in internationally recognized engineering research in hundreds of emerging areas focused on solving the world's greatest challenges. Faculty and their research teams collaborate in multidisciplinary research with colleagues at other colleges, campuses and industry leaders.  

Our accomplished faculty are made up of leaders in their areas of study and include more than 90 fellows of professional societies and more than 50 National Institutes of Health, NSF CAREER, BRIGE, and Young Investigator recipients. Their dynamic research programs address real-world problems and even define entirely new and novel research areas. 

A listing of research areas by department is included below. For more information on BCOE's Graduate Program, contact Dr. Chinya Ravishankar, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies.
Guillermo Aguilar
Window to the Brain: Guillermo Aguilar
Aguilar and his team have developed a "Window to the Brain" - a transparent cranial implant - that will enable physicians to access the brain, on-demand, over large areas, and on a chronically-recurring basis. The advancement can help doctors treat neurological disorders, such as brain cancer and traumatic brain injury (TBI), without multiple invasive operations.
Jay Farrell
GPS Tracking Down to the Centimeter: Jay Farrell
A new, more computationally efficient way to process data from GPS enhances location accuracy from the meter-level down to just a few centimeters, without increasing the demand for processing power. The application of this accurate location data is critical for emerging technologies such as driverless cars and precision farming
Elaine Haberer
Enhancing Power Through Biology: Elaine Haberer
Haberer and her team are looking to biology to perfect the shortcomings of man-made tools for precise nanoscale assembly. By mirroring how biomolecules expertly direct the assembly of inorganic materials, she can synthesize new, multi-component nanoscale materials, addressing challenges in the areas of solar power generation, photocatalysis and gas sensing.
Eamonn Keogh
Data Mining: Eamonn Keogh
Of the 3,528 different kinds of mosquitos, less than 5 percent are vectors of human disease. Moreover, mosquitos are small - 1,000 mosquitos weigh no more than a penny - and are difficult to detect. By combining the strengths of data mining with inexpensive sensors, this research allows continual reporting of insect counts and their identification, as well as pinpointing locales of active disease agents for targeted suppression.
David Kisailus
Mantis-Shrimp Inspired Material: David Kisailus
Inspired by the mantis shrimp's exoskeleton, researchers are developing new types of composite materials for applications including aerospace and automotive frames, body armor and athletic gear, including football helmets. Buildnig nanostructures based on nature may have advantages such as low-costs, environmentally benign processing, exquisite control of architectural design, and the energy effciency offered by complex living organisms.
Huinan Liu
Bioresorbable Medical Implants: Huinan Liu
Medical implans assist with recovery but may require a secondary surgery for adjustment or removal. Our implants and devices are made of materials that can break down naturally in the body over time. These materials can aid in the healing process, providing essential nutrients to the body as they are absorbed, and have the potential to reduce medical costs, accelerate recovery and improve the quality of patients' lives.
Suveen Mathaudhu
Superhero Engineering: Suveen Mathaudhu
This avid comic book and superhero fan combines the real world of materials science with the fictional world of comic book heroes to develop ultra-tough metals and alloys.
Cengiz and Mihri Ozkan
Boosting Battery Performance: Cengiz and Mihri Ozkan
Learning from the composition and the high potassium salt concentration of portabella mushrooms, researchers have created new type of lithium-ion battery anode that could stop cell pone batteries from degrading over time. With the anticipated increase in batteries needed for electric vehicles and electronics, findings may become a cheaper and sustainable source to replace graphite.
Marko Princevac
Predicting Fire Behavior: Marko Princevac
Fire has been with us forever, and it will always be with us. And while it can be a very useful tool, it can also scare us. Marko Princevac is working with a fire wind tunnel to control fire conditions to determine how it behaves - how it moves, where it moves and why it moves - so that we can control and fight fire more effectively.
Charles Wyman
Fuel of Tomorrow: Plant Biomass: Charles Wyman
Seeking to find alternative, renewable energy sources. Wyman's research is pioneering new approaches involving the pretreatment of non-food biomass sources such as poplar woord and switchgrass. Findings may enable companies to commercialize bioenergy crops and potentially profit from fuels produced at a much lower cost.

Research Statistics

30M+
Annual research expenditures
$313,000
Average research expenditures per faculty member
50+
Areas of research

Research Area Info

BIOENGINEERING

  • Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine
  • Biomedical Imaging and Photonics
  • Computational Bioengineering
  • Medical Devices
  • Molecular and Cellular Engineering

BIEN Website

CHEMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

  • Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology
  • Air Quality Systems Engineering
  • Biotechnology and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Computation and Molecular Modeling
  • Energy Conversion and Storage
  • Water Quality Systems Engineering

CEE Website

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

  • Communication and Signal Processing
  • Controls and Robotics
  • Computer Engineering
  • Power Systems and Smart Grid
  • Intelligent Systems
  • Nanoscale Materials, Devices and Circuits

ECE Website

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

  • Algorithms, Bioinformatics
  • Architecture, Compilers, Embedded Systems
  • Cybersecurity
  • Databases, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence
  • High-Performance Computing, Graphics
  • Programming Languages and Software Engineering
  • Systems, Networks
CSE Website

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

  • Energy Processing
  • Air Quality and Fire Engineering
  • Nano- and Micro-Scale Engineering
  • Computation and Design
  • Materials Properties & Processing
  • Multiphase Flow and Combustion
  • Bio-Applications
ME Website