Annual Report
2024-2025
This past year, the Department of Chemical Engineering has led breakthroughs at the intersection of health, sustainability, and advanced materials. From major research awards in clean energy and biomanufacturing to students receiving prestigious fellowships and internships, our department continues to make a global impact.
I invite you to explore our digital annual report, where you’ll find more stories of discovery, collaboration, and innovation — along with key statistics that capture the breadth of our accomplishments in 2024–2025.
Thank you for your continued support of the College of Engineering and the incredible work happening here at Northeastern.
Rebecca Willits
Chair, Department of Chemical Engineering
Top Stories
ChE Assistant Professor Benjamin Woolston received an NSF CAREER award for “Metabolic ‘Doping’ To Enhance Production of Biochemicals From Sustainable C1 Feedstocks.” The research aims to understand the regulation of carbon metabolism and use the insight to make acetogens more effective for renewable production of fuels and chemicals.
Woolston also received a Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research for “Expanding the Product Range of Anaerobic Methanol Fermentation.” He is engineering Clostridia microbes that absorb methanol and convert them into a protein-based biomass deriving a wide range of materials, from food to plastics.
ChE Assistant Professor Qing Zhao received an NSF CAREER Award for “Computational Characterization of Reaction Mechanisms and Catalytic Microenvironments in Redox-Mediated Ammonia Electrosynthesis.” She is investigating an electrochemical approach to producing ammonia as an alternative to production powered by fossil fuels.
Zhao also received an American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award for “First-Principles Discovery of Single-Atom Alloys as Coke-Resistant Catalysts for Direct Methane Activation.” Using electronic structure theory, Zhao is designing catalysts at the atomic level to convert earth-abundant methane into value-added multi-carbon hydrocarbons.
ChE/COS Assistant Professor Magda Barecka was selected to lead a DOE project managed by the ARPA-E GREENWELLS program for “Modular Electrochemical Ethanol Production Using Intermittent Power (Electricity).” She is pioneering new technology to convert dilute carbon dioxide into a concentrated ethanol product using intermittent renewable electricity.
ChE/BioE Associate Professor Eno Ebong was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the federal government to outstanding early career scientists.
Stats
Total Enrollment (Fall 2024)
50% of undergraduates and 34% of PhD students are women
Young Investigator Awards
including 11 NSF CAREER Awards
External Research Awards (2022-2024)
Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty
Faculty Highlights
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Announcing Hongfei Lin as the Arthur W. Zafiropoulo Professor of Chemical Engineering Hongfei Lin, who has dedicated his professional career to advancing sustainable energy systems, joined Northeastern in July 2025 as the Arthur W. Zafiropoulo professor of chemical engineering. |
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Are There Rare Earth Minerals in Ukraine? Laura Lewis, university distinguished and Cabot professor of chemical engineering and mechanical and industrial engineering, who studies critical minerals and their applications, discusses a deal that would give the U.S. a share of Ukraine’s critical raw minerals. |
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Amiji Elected AAAS Fellow Bouvé/ChE University Distinguished Professor Mansoor Amiji was elected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2024 Fellow in the Pharmaceutical Sciences section for distinguished contributions in pharmaceutical sciences with a specific focus on targeted drug delivery for a variety of diseases including cancer, inflammatory diseases, and CNS diseases. |
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Carrier Selected as Fellow of the Controlled Release Society ChE Distinguished Professor Rebecca Carrier was elevated to the College of Fellows of the Controlled Release Society. The CRS recognizes exceptional individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of delivery science and technology. |
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Lustig Named Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors ChE Associate Professor Steve Lustig was selected as a National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Senior Member, a prestigious honor recognizing active faculty, scientists, and administrators from NAI Member Institutions who have demonstrated remarkable innovation-producing technologies that have made or aspire to make an impact on society’s welfare. |
Student Highlights
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2025 Hodgkinson Award Madeline Szoo, E’25, chemical engineering and biochemistry, advised by MIE Assistant Professor Cynthia Hajal, is the recipient of a Harold D. Hodgkinson Achievement Award for 2025, one of the highest honors a senior can receive. Szoo also was awarded a Stabile Scholarship from Tau Beta Pi, a prestigious engineering honor society, which supports students based on their academic work, campus leadership, and service, as well as their promise of future contributions to the engineering profession. |
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2025 Condit Award Dhwani Bhatt, E’27, chemical engineering, won the Sears B. Condit Award, which is awarded annually to one student from each of Northeastern’s undergraduate day colleges and is one of the highest honors that a junior or senior at Northeastern University can receive. |
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2025 AHA Predoctoral Fellowship Selina Banerjee, PhD’26, chemical engineering, won an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship for her neurovascular organ chip project. |
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2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Award Recipients Dominic Pizzarella, E’25, chemical engineering and biochemistry, and Madeline Szoo, E’25, chemical engineering and biochemistry, were recipients of the prestigious 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high-achieving scientists and engineers early in their careers. |
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AIChE Outstanding Student Chapter Award The Northeastern University student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) was selected as an Outstanding Student Chapter for the 2023 – 2024 school year. This award is presented to AIChE student chapters that demonstrate an “exceptional level of participation, enthusiasm, program quality, professionalism, and involvement in the university and community”. Additionally, several students were recognized, including Eleanor Kutschera, E’27, ChE, with the AIChE First Year Student Recognition Award for being the most active member, Luana Forti Bergamo, E’26, ChE, with the AIChE Donald F. Othmer Academic Excellence Award for top GPA, and Dominic Pizzarella, E’24, ChE, with the prestigious AIChE Othmer Scholarship for outstanding academics and chapter work. ChE Teaching Professor Courtney Pfluger received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Outstanding Student Chapter Advisor Award, which recognizes outstanding service and leadership in guiding the student chapter activities in accordance with the national organization’s principles. |
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Best Poster Award at NECS Chengyu Zhou, PhD’28, chemical engineering, won the NECS Best Poster Award for research into sustainable, low-carbon ammonia production. |
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Measuring Microparticles With Precision Sabrina Marnoto, PhD’25, chemical engineering, and Avi Patel, E’24, chemical engineering, are working on developing a novel device to measure the elastic modulus of microparticles. The goal is to create an all-in-one tool that provides continuous, accurate measurements of microparticle elasticity, shape, and size. Their innovation could significantly benefit pharmaceutical drug delivery systems by ensuring precise particle measurements. |
PhD Spotlight: Justin Hayes, PhD’25, Chemical Engineering
Justin Hayes, PhD’25, chemical engineering, focuses on understanding how gut microbial metabolism impacts human health. He is an inventor on the pending patent and founder and CEO of Concordance Therapeutics Inc. He was awarded the Northeastern University chapter of the National Academy of Inventors Student Innovation Impact Award.
