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X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://che.northeastern.edu
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Department of Chemical Engineering
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260401T110000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260319T182154Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T182154Z
UID:6020-1775037600-1775041200@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:ChE MS Thesis Defense: Daniel Sekyere
DESCRIPTION:Name: Daniel Sekyere \nTitle: Integrating Direct Air Capture with Bicarbonate Electrolysis \nDate: 04/01/2026 \nTime: 10:00:00 AM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Magda Barecka (Advisor)\nProf. Richard West\nProf. Damilola Daramola\nProf. Aaron Stubbins \nLocation: Snell Library 013 \nAbstract:\nBicarbonate electrolysis offers a compelling pathway to integrate direct air capture (DAC) with electrochemical CO₂ reduction\, bypassing the energy-intensive thermal regeneration that is a bottleneck in alkaline solvent-based DAC. Yet a critical flaw undermines most laboratory studies: the electrolytes used do not accurately reflect solvents produced from real atmospheric CO₂ capture. This thesis investigates quantification of carbon speciation during CO₂ absorption in 0.1 M potassium hydroxide (KOH)\, potassium bicarbonate (KHCO₃)\, and potassium carbonate (K₂CO₃) under pure CO₂\, 1000 ppm CO₂ in N₂\, and ambient air (~430 ppm)\, using a non-destructive real-time DIC quantification method based on inline pH and conductivity measurements. \nThe central finding is that fresh KHCO₃\, typically used for bicarbonate electrolysis\, off-gases a substantial amount of CO₂ and therefore should not be used in bicarbonate\nelectrolysis studies. Using Henderson-Hasselbalch equation\, it is demonstrated that 0.1 M KHCO₃ equilibrates with ~14\,700 ppm dissolved CO₂\, 34 times above ambient air\, driving desorption by Le Chatelier’s principle. Measured DIC losses of 1\,400 mg/L (air) and 1\,046 mg/L (CO₂+N₂)\, alongside pH increases from 8.65 to ~10.12\, confirm this mechanism. By contrast\, KOH retains 87–91% of its pure CO₂ absorption capacity under dilute conditions and produces authentic DAC effluent of bicarbonate-carbonate mixtures (54-65% HCO₃⁻\, 35-46% CO₃²⁻) with negligible dissolved CO₂\, unlike the CO₂-saturated solvent. Equilibration times extended 35-161-fold under dilute CO₂\, marking a transition from kinetic to mass-transfer control with direct implications for contactor design. \nThese findings challenge the validity of performance metrics reported across a substantial body of bicarbonate electrolysis research and provide a rigorous experimental framework for electrolyte preparation that accurately reflects integrated DAC-electrolysis systems. \n\nDaniel is a Chemical Engineering graduate student at Northeastern University\, where he is completing his Master of Science thesis titled Integrating Direct Air Capture with Bicarbonate Electrolysis. His research examines whether common laboratory electrolytes used in bicarbonate electrolysis studies accurately represent real direct air capture (DAC) solvents – a question with significant implications for how the field designs and interprets experiments. In doing so\, his work challenges a foundational assumption in the bicarbonate electrolysis literature and offers a methodological corrective with broad relevance to carbon capture research. His findings are being prepared for journal submission alongside his thesis\, expected April 2026. Beyond the laboratory\, Daniel is an active member of the African Graduate Student Association at Northeastern\, where he contributes to a community that supports and uplifts African scholars in graduate education. He has also presented his research at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)\, engaging a broader professional audience with his work on DAC-electrolysis integration. With strong competencies in carbonate equilibrium chemistry\, electrochemical systems\, and system modeling\, Daniel is driven by the goal of developing rigorous\, scalable pathways for carbon dioxide removal.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-ms-thesis-defense-daniel-sekyere/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T140000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260310T213057Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T213057Z
UID:5984-1775217600-1775224800@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Capstone Poster Session
DESCRIPTION:Come join us in celebrating our students’ capstone projects! Explore our graduating seniors’ incredible posters and groundbreaking research.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-capstone-poster-session-2/
LOCATION:McLeod Suites\, 360 Huntington Ave\, 318-322 CSC\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260403T190000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20251117T194455Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251117T194455Z
UID:5867-1775235600-1775242800@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering 2026 Annual Awards Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:This is the annual event for our community to celebrate the department\, College\, University\, and external awards and achievements given over the past year. \n**Parking is available for a fee at Gainsborough and Renaissance Park Garages. There are also meters on Columbus Ave. Lyft and Uber are also suggested. MBTA commuters can take the Orange Line to the Ruggles stop.**
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-2026-annual-awards-ceremony/
LOCATION:Alumni Center\, 716 Columbus Ave\, 6th Floor\, Boston\, MA\, 02120\, United States
GEO:42.3376775;-71.0852898
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Alumni Center 716 Columbus Ave 6th Floor Boston MA 02120 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=716 Columbus Ave\, 6th Floor:geo:-71.0852898,42.3376775
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T163000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260325T185409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T195037Z
UID:6031-1775575800-1775579400@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:ChE MS Thesis Defense: Richard Gyamfi Atta
DESCRIPTION: Name: Richard Gyamfi Atta \nTitle: Understanding Mucus-Bile Salt/ Phospholipid Mixed Micelle Interactions \nDate: 04/07/2026 \nTime: 03:30:00 PM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Steve Lustig (Advisor)\nProf. Rebecca Carrier\nProf. Srirupa Chakraborty\nDennis Leung \nLocation: Forsyth 128 \nAbstract:\nBile salt–phospholipid mixed micelles play a central role in gastrointestinal transport of lipids and poorly water-soluble drugs\, yet their interactions with mucin networks remain poorly understood at the molecular level. Here\, we combine time-resolved ATR-FTIR spectroscopy\, two-dimensional correlation analysis\, diffusion modeling\, and isothermal titration calorimetry to resolve the sequence\, energetics\, and transport behavior of micelle–mucin interactions. The mucin network is first shown to relax into an equilibrium state governed by a glycan-dominated structural hierarchy. Upon exposure to mixed micelles\, this equilibrated network undergoes a distinct sequence of reorganization initiated by perturbation of hydrogen-bonding interactions\, followed by peptide backbone rearrangement and eventual glycan decoupling. Diffusion analysis reveals that micellar assemblies penetrate the mucin network with effective diffusivities on the order of 10⁻⁶ cm²/s despite ongoing structural evolution. Notably\, the ability of a constant-diffusivity Fickian model to accurately describe transport under these conditions indicates that molecular-scale reorganization does not substantially alter the effective transport resistance over the measurement timescale\, establishing a direct connection between spectroscopic dynamics and macroscopic transport behavior. \nCalorimetric measurements further demonstrate a concentration-dependent transition from localized\, enthalpy-driven binding at low micelle concentrations to cooperative\, entropy-dominated network disruption at higher loadings associated with higher-order micellar aggregates. Together\, these results show that bile salt micelles actively remodel mucin networks rather than traversing a static barrier\, while maintaining effective diffusive transport. This work provides a molecular-level framework for understanding mucus- mediated transport and its implications for physiological processes and drug delivery. \n\nRichard Gyamfi Atta is a Master’s candidate in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University\, where he conducts research in the Carrier and Lustig laboratories on transport phenomena across biological barriers. His work focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms governing interactions between bile salt–phospholipid assemblies and mucin networks\, with the goal of improving drug transport across the gastrointestinal mucus layer. By integrating time-resolved ATR-FTIR spectroscopy\, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy\, diffusion modeling\, and calorimetry\, he develops mechanistic frameworks that connect molecular-scale interactions to macroscopic transport behavior in complex biopolymer systems. In addition to his academic research\, Richard has industry experience in gene therapy process development\, where he contributed to downstream purification strategies for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors\, including optimization of chromatography and filtration processes to improve product recovery and quality. His research interests are centered on pharmaceutical drug delivery\, particularly the design of biomaterials and carrier systems that enhance the transport of poorly soluble drugs and biologics across mucosal and other physiological barriers. He aims to develop mechanistically driven approaches that bridge molecular interactions\, material design\, and transport phenomena to enable more effective and predictable drug delivery systems.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-ms-thesis-defense-richard-gyamfi-atta/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260408T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260408T130000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260324T190936Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260324T190936Z
UID:6023-1775649600-1775653200@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:ChE MS Thesis Defense: Sofia Roger
DESCRIPTION:Name: Sofia Roger \nTitle: Development and Evaluation of Learning Tool for a Global Review of Mineral Commodities \nDate: 04/08/2026 \nTime: 12:00:00 PM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Luke Landherr (Advisor)\nProf. Joshua Gallaway\nProf. Alexis Prybutok \nLocation: Ryder 205 \nAbstract:\nEngineering is a highly collaborative\, intersectional practice that depends on transforming raw materials. Despite this relationship\, it is difficult to explain how engineers’ decisions in industrial settings affect the rest of the world. The consequences of sourcing materials for technological advancement may not always be explicit. The effects of engineers consuming material can have cascading consequences or be so removed that they fall outside design concerns. To promote discussion of the socioeconomic effects of raw material consumption in engineering\, this work aimed to develop a website-based learning tool\, www.wherematerialscomefrom.com. The tool provides context on the mining processes used to obtain raw materials. Through survey data collection\, the tool was evaluated for its ability to help users understand how raw materials are acquired. \n\nSofia Roger completed her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University and has since decided to pursue her master’s also in Chemical Engineering as part of Northeastern’s plus one program. She completed two co-ops\, during which she participated in the research and design of solid-state sulfur-chalcogen batteries at Avanti Battery Co. and the development of conductive ceramic for high-temperature reactor design at Lydian Labs. Her experience in materials engineering for sustainable technology motivated her to explore which environmentally sound raw materials can be used to innovate. This motivation gave rise to the educational tool developed in her thesis work.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-ms-thesis-defense-sofia-roger/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T100000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260310T181021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260310T181021Z
UID:5982-1775811600-1775815200@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:Wonder Week: Chemical Engineering
DESCRIPTION:During Wonder Week\, you’ll have the chance to learn how the top-ranked Graduate School of Engineering at Northeastern University combines rigorous academics with experiential learning and convergent research. You’ll also see how our unique learning model better prepares the next generation of engineering leaders to address the complex challenges of global society. \nPrograms discussed include chemical engineering and pharmaceutical engineering.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/wonder-week-chemical-engineering/
LOCATION:Virtual
ORGANIZER;CN="Graduate School of Engineering":MAILTO:coe-gradadmissions@northeastern.edu
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260410T140000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260408T203215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T203215Z
UID:6045-1775826000-1775829600@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:ChE MS Thesis Defense: Austin Breed
DESCRIPTION:Name: Austin Breed \nTitle: Fabrication of Na-ion Intercalation Materials for Kinetic Energy Harvesting \nDate: 04/10/2026 \nTime: 01:00:00 PM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Joshua Gallaway (Advisor)\nProf. Sanjeev Mukerjee\nProf. Magda Barecka\nEnock Nagelli\, PhD \nLocation: Snell Library 001 \nAbstract:\nThis work investigates ion-solvation switching as a mechanism for electrochemical kinetic energy harvesting (EKEH) in low-power\, confined environments\, motivated by the growing demand for sustainable energy sources for distributed electronics. Long-term stability\, confined area design\, and unsteady current output limit contemporary harvesting designs\, often hamstrung by material engineering shortfalls. Copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHCF) is a Prussian blue analogue (PBA) promising new active material under investigation in long-term storage and kinetic harvesting devices due to its face-centered cubic (FCC) structure conducive to ion-intercalation\, adequate theoretical capacity\, and stability comparative to traditional Prussian blue cathodes. However\, CuHCF still experiences notable capacity fade and mechanical degradation during prolonged exposure to aqueous electrolyte. This study fabricated copper CuHCF electrodes\, evaluated their structure using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and\, for varying fabrication parameters\, used electrochemical methods including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)\, cyclic voltammetry (CV)\, and open-circuit potential (OCP) power cycles to benchmark performance and\ndurability impacts. \nResults confirm that CuHCF-based systems can reproduce switching potentials on the order of ~0.40 mV. Though consistent with prior reports\, this work demonstrated prolonged voltage saturation time\, highlighting evidence of kinetic and diffusional limitations. Material composition strongly influenced electrochemical performance\, where Fe(II)-rich CuHCF exhibited improved reversibility and reduced overpotentials\, suggesting enhanced charge-transfer kinetics and structural stability\, albeit with a modest reduction in capacity. Electrolyte concentration further impacted performance\, reinforcing its importance as a design parameter. Thermal annealing degraded electrochemical initial performance\, likely due to the loss of interstitial water and disruption of ion transport pathways. \nThis work elucidated the sensitivity of performance and stability to various fabrication parameters in Na-ion intercalation materials for this ion-solvation switching applications.\nFurthermore\, this study highlights key trade-offs between stability\, capacity\, and voltage saturation in CuHCF-based ion-solvation switching systems and identifies critical areas for improvement\, particularly in materials engineering and electrolyte optimization\, to enable practical implementation of next generation electrochemical energy harvesting technologies. Understanding the causal relationships between fabrication methods and these measured quantities will drive future work towards mitigating these failure modes and limitations. \n\nAustin Grant Breed\, BS\, EIT Austin is currently pursuing a Master of Science (MS) in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University in Boston\, conducting research in the Gallaway Lab focused on electrochemical kinetic energy harvesting. He completed his undergraduate training in Chemical Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. During his time at West Point\, he conducted research in hemorheology\, developing stochastic models of large amplitude oscillatory shear forces in human blood\, and participated in a waste-to-energy demonstration project involving synthetic gas production via rotary kiln gasification. He also interned at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory\, where he analyzed the kinetic and aerodynamic effects of nanotechnology integrated into solid chemical propellants. Austin earned his EIT status in 2017. Prior to graduate school\, Austin served over seven years as a commissioned U.S. Army Aviation Officer\, accumulating approximately 750 flight hours across multiple rotary- and fixed-wing platforms including the CH-47F Chinook. His most recent military culminated in command of an aviation maintenance company in the 2-501st General Support Aviation Battalion at Fort Bliss\, where he oversaw maintenance operations for a 34-aircraft fleet and over 175 soldiers. He also served in several leadership roles supporting NATO deterrence operations in Europe and Korea. Austin’s service was recognized with the Meritorious Service Medal\, the Honorable Order of St. Michael\, and several other distinctions. Last year\, Austin served as a project lead at Storion Energy in Wilmington\, MA\, directing the development and assessment of a novel continuous vanadium electrolyte production process — work that also forms the basis of his thesis defense through Northeastern University’s Gordon Institute of Engineering Leadership fellowship. After completing his MS\, Austin plans to continue working towards his PhD in chemical engineering with the Gallaway Lab while instructing within the chemical engineering department at West Point.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-ms-thesis-defense-austin-breed/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260508T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260508T140000
DTSTAMP:20260508T211423
CREATED:20260504T135009Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T135009Z
UID:6071-1778245200-1778248800@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:ChE PhD Dissertation Defense: Kevin Yang
DESCRIPTION:Name:\nKevin Yang \nTitle:\nStructural Investigation of Single-Atom Catalysts in HCl Electrolysis\, CO₂ Reduction\, and Li-S Batteries \nDate:\n05/08/2026 \nTime:\n01:00:00 PM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Sanjeev Mukerjee (Advisor)\nProf. Joshua Gallaway\nProf. Hannah Sayre\nProf. Magda Barecka \nLocation:\nEXP 202 \nAbstract:\nTransition metal single-atom catalysts have emerged as a promising class of materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage due to their high atomic utilization\, tunable electronic structure\, well-defined active sites\, and use to high earth abundant metals. Metal nitrogen carbon (M-N-C) catalysts are practical in a wide range of electrochemical systems. However\, the development of M-N-C catalysts into industrial systems still requires much effort\, in part\, due to the lack of durability and stability studies. M-N-C catalysts can be used in oxygen depolarized cathode (ODC) HCl electrolysis\, CO2 reduction\, and lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Understanding the mechanisms of M-N-C degradation\, durability\, and effects of modifications to such catalysts would ultimately benefit their implementation in each electrochemical system.   Chapter 1 introduces M-N-C catalysts and the various electrochemical systems they will be used in (ODC HCl electrolysis\, CO2 reduction\, and Li-S batteries). \nIn chapter two\, we investigate the durability of the Fe-N-C catalyst in ODC HCl electrolysis. Fe-N-C exhibits high oxygen reduction activity and strong resistance to chloride poisoning relative to most noble metal catalysts. However\, its durability and degradation mechanisms in HCl electrolysis are not well studied. Through a combination of durability studies\, accelerated stress tests\, and multimodal spectroscopic techniques\, we identified two main degradation pathways: an operational demetallation of Fe-N4 active sites under sustained polarization and a carbon-corrosion-induced demetallation that occurs during the transient conditions of uncontrolled shutdown. Spectroscopic analysis reveals one unstable FeN4 moiety and two stable Fe-N-C moieties that can withstand the HCl electrolysis operating conditions. These findings establish a mechanism for Fe-N-C degradation to drive future catalyst design. \nIn chapter three\, we modify Fe-N-C catalyst and Ni-N-C catalyst with heteroatom dopants to observe their effects on CO2 reduction activity\, product selectivity\, and the correlation with the changes in electronic and coordination structure. Using a post-pyrolysis treatment process\, we dope the environment around the metal active center either by introducing an axial ligand or binding to the carbon structure. Utilizing in situ/operando XAS\, we found that the dopants are generally not stable and can introduce a site-blocking effect at low overpotentials. Through these findings\, we find that the axial ligand dopants are not durable during CO2 reduction and do not make large contributions to the activity or product distribution of Ni-N-C and Fe-N-C in CO2 reduction. \nIn chapter four\, we investigate the effects of metal centers for M-N-C in polysulfide conversion and the changes in the active site structure after operation. The catalytic activity of M-N-C catalysts varies largely with different metal centers and coordinating environments.  We find that Co-N-C and Fe-N-C favor the oxidation of short-chain polysulfides to elemental sulfur\, while Sn-N-C and Ni-N-C make a larger contribution to the reduction of elemental sulfur to short-chain polysulfides. Mo-N-C\, which had the presence of Mo nanoparticles\, exhibited the lowest increase in performance compared to the others. This finding emphasizes the catalytic capability and importance of synthesizing purer M-N-C catalysts. All M-N-C catalysts were able to impact the conversion of lithium polysulfides to gain performance greater than baseline carbon. X-ray spectroscopic methods were used to analyze the structure of the M-N-C catalyst at various cycles to find that the active site structure of Fe-N-C undergoes a partial change to form Fe2O3\, while Co-N-C and Ni-N-C remain relatively stable. This change in the active site could be a cause of capacity decay in Li-S batteries. \nChapter 5 summarizes the findings and offers suggestions for future work. \n\nKevin Yang is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University\, where his research focuses on understanding structure–property relationships in single-atom catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. His work spans multiple electrochemical systems\, including oxygen depolarized cathodes for hydrochloric acid electrolysis\, CO₂ electroreduction\, and lithium–sulfur batteries\, with an overarching emphasis on how catalyst active sites evolve under operating conditions and how those structural changes govern activity\, selectivity\, and durability. Kevin’s research combines electrochemical engineering with advanced multimodal characterization\, including in situ and ex situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS)\, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy\, Raman spectroscopy\, electron microscopy\, and electrochemical diagnostics. Through this work\, he has developed mechanistic insights into active site degradation pathways in Fe–N–C and other transition metal–nitrogen–carbon single-atom catalysts\, helping bridge fundamental catalyst chemistry with practical reactor operation.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-phd-dissertation-defense-kevin-yang/
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