Research Focus
In recent years, our signature areas have helped foster interdisciplinary collaborations. We are teaming with industry and seeking solutions from virtually every corner of campus to solve whole problems—not just parts. From the atomic-scale breakthroughs in nanotechnology to system-changing solutions that ensure global sustainability, we are focused on day-to-day achievements and committed to tomorrow's success.
Research Spotlights
A new International Brain Mechanics and Trauma Lab (IBMTL) has been established as part of an international initiative to study brain cell and tissue mechanics and their relation with brain functions, disease, and trauma. The team comprises Riyi Shi, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Weldon School, and colleagues from Oxford University, the Technical University of Madrid, and the University of California.
Research by Pavlos Vlachos and colleagues at Virginia Tech sheds light on how the snake's body works like an airfoil to generate lift forces to keep them airborne as they descend through the air in the Southeast Asian rainforest.
Researchers are proposing a new technology that might control the flow of heat the way electronic devices control electrical current, an advance that could have applications in a diverse range of fields from electronics to textiles.
ECE researchers have shown how to increase the efficiency of thin-film solar cells, a technology that could bring low-cost solar energy. The approach uses 3-D "photonic crystals" to absorb more sunlight than conventional thin-film cells.
Researchers at Purdue University have successfully tested the conversion of large particles of pinewood char in a gasification process, a step necessary for the mass production of synthetic liquid fuel from recalcitrant biomass.
Researchers have created a new type of molecular motor made of DNA and demonstrated its potential by using it to transport a nanoparticle along the length of a carbon nanotube.
Researchers are developing computers capable of "approximate computing" to perform calculations good enough for certain tasks that don't require perfect accuracy, potentially doubling efficiency and reducing energy consumption.