Skip to main content
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Dorothy Skaf, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, works with a student in the lab.

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering is a dynamic community of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty.

Our professors excel in both the classroom and the laboratory, with many possessing decades of experience in traditional chemical engineering industries such as fuels, alternative energy, bulk chemicals and polymers. Other faculty are leading the way in the rapidly growing fields of biotechnology, biomedical engineering, cell therapy, bio-inspired materials, pharmaceuticals and more.

Regardless of your area of interest, at Villanova, you will be taught to creatively solve relevant technical problems with solutions that respond to economic constraints as well as social, ethical, environmental and safety implications.

At a Glance

  • 15 Full-time faculty members
  • 224 Chemical Engineering undergraduates (50% female)
  • 29 Master's students (Chemical)
  • 30 Master's students (Biochemical)
  • 15 PhD students

The size of our department allows for a variety of hands-on research opportunities and the ability for focused faculty mentorship.

 

OUR RESEARCH

The department is associated with the College of Engineering’s research center:

NovaCell, the Center for Cellular Engineering

NovaCell’s mission is to lead efforts to improve cell and gene therapy products, and the bioprocesses used to make them.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNTIES

Students at all levels are encouraged to pursue research opportunities with Chemical and Biological Engineering faculty in the areas of:

  • Biopharmaceutical processing
  • Biomaterials for drug delivery
  • Cell and gene therapy
  • Computational chemistry models to improve catalyst design
  • Decontamination of wastewater
  • Systems biology approaches to understanding antibiotic resistance
  • Utilizing biomass for energy and bio-sourced materials
  • Zeolite and catalyst design for increased process efficiency

Department Chair
Dr. Chris Kitchens
Professor

VILLANOVA ENGINEERING

FEATURED FACULTY

WEIJIAN DIAO, PHD

Before joining the Villanova Engineering faculty in spring 2021, Assistant Professor Weijian Diao was a research associate professor at the University of South Carolina and prior to that served as a postdoctoral researcher at Idaho National Laboratory. Dr. Diao teaches a course in Chemical Reactor Engineering and his research focuses on heterogeneous catalysis, nanomaterials, rational catalyst synthesis and renewable energy application. MORE...

VITO PUNZI, PHD

Professor and director of Chemical Engineering graduate studies, Vito Punzi teaches introductory courses along with electives including Industrial Liquid and Solid Waste Treatment and Catholic Social Teaching for Engineers. One of his ongoing research areas is the theoretical and applied aspects of traditional chemical engineering separation processes that can be used in drinking water, industrial wastewater and hazardous waste treatment. MORE...

NOELLE COMOLLI, PHD

Associate Professor Noelle Comolli teaches in the areas of polymers, biomaterials, engineering design and professional development for PhD students. As director of the Polymeric Biomaterials Lab, she focuses on applications in the design of new drug delivery vehicles and cell capture and purification. MORE...

RON OZER, PHD

Visiting Assistant Professor Ron Ozer has decades of expertise in renewable chemistry and biofuels, catalysis and reaction engineering, distillation, workstream development and scale-up from lab to pilot plant. In addition to his own consulting firm, he spent years as a principal investigator at DuPont. At Villanova he teaches Chemical Engineering lab and a course in Heat Transfer. MORE...

DEPARTMENT NEWS

Chemical Engineering Senior Completes Grand Challenges Scholars Program

Chemical Engineering Senior Completes Grand Challenges Scholars Program

The National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges Scholars Program is an engineering education supplement that broadens the reach of undergraduate study. The 2021 class of scholars included Simon Brooks, Bridget LaSala, Siobhan Merrill and Aldo Pierini.
 

Jessica McKean ’21

Eleven Villanovans Win Prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Grants for 2021-22

Among the University’s winners was Chemical Engineering graduate Jessica McKean ’21. Jessica’s undergraduate research in the field of cellular and genetic engineering led to an interest in an interdisciplinary opportunity within the fields of biology, material science, civil engineering and architecture. She will spend her Fulbright year at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, where she will research the potential of genetically engineering bacteria to improve a sustainable bio-cement technology.

Research suggests that moringa oleifera seeds have potential for the removal of copper from water.

Students Investigate the Use of Natural Materials to Treat Drinking Water Sources

A highlight of Villanova’s Chemical and Biological Engineering program is the department’s two-semester Senior Project Studio through which undergraduates can participate in an industry-sponsored or faculty-advised design or research project. This year, three teams are working with professors Dorothy Skaf and Vito Punzi to explore the use of natural materials to treat water for colloidal suspended solids removal.