Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Brett Graver
Presentation title: Identification and Engineering of Prokaryotic Argonautes for Biotechnology Applications
Speaker Bio: Brett is a Ph.D. candidate in Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware in the laboratory of Dr. Kevin Solomon. His research focuses on the discovery and engineering of prokaryotic Argonaute programmable endonucleases and their accessory proteins for biotechnology applications. By combining experimental and computational approaches — including protein docking and molecular dynamic simulation, rational protein engineering, and biochemical characterization — he seeks to better understand the structural basis of Argonaute function and expand the utility of these emerging molecular scissors for in vivo application and point-of-care diagnostics.
Brett earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Kutztown University, graduating magna cum laude. He was also awarded a Coalition for Translational Entrepreneurship InDE fellowship at the University of Delaware. Following completion of…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Gregory Parisi
Presentation Title: Switchable Interfaces: Controlling Heat and Water Through Stimuli-Responsive Materials
Speaker Bio: Gregory Parisi is a Center for Soft and Living Matter Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studies dynamic wetting phenomena, thermoresponsive hydrogel composites, and phase-change liquid-infused coatings for adaptive control of interfacial transport. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2024, with prior training in chemistry and biochemistry. His research integrates soft matter physics, interfacial science, and thermal-fluid engineering to design stimuli-responsive materials for heat transfer and water applications.
The DYSS summer series is in its 16th year and is nationally recognized as a one-of-a-kind platform for young researchers to shine. The Chemical Engineering department at UW created DYSS to provide professional development to chemical engineers across the country and foster future leaders in chemical…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Ricardo Mathison
Presentation title: Understand, Discover, Control: AI-Driven Tools for Accelerated Reaction Engineering
Speaker bio: Ricardo Mathison earned his Ph.D. from NYU with Prof. Miguel Modestino, where he combined in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, high-throughput experimentation, and machine learning to study organic electrosynthesis. Working on adiponitrile, the largest organic electrosynthesis process in the world, he resolved the molecular processes that govern its selectivity, work later highlighted by Science. Ricardo is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University, working with Prof. Ive Hermans to bring machine learning to heterogeneous catalyst discovery. He has been recognized as a Next Generation Electrochemistry Scholar by Argonne National Laboratory, and received the Theodore Beck Award from the Electrochemical Society and the Turner Alfrey Prize at NYU. Ricardo also mentors students in Venezuela's national chemistry olympiad program, helping prepare the next generation for the International…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Anuja Tripathi
Presentation title: Towards Critical-Material Circularity: Recovery and Scalable Regeneration from Secondary Resources
Speaker bio: Anuja Tripathi is a postdoctoral fellow in Chemical Engineering at Northwestern University. She previously completed postdoctoral training at the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research spans two primary areas. The first focuses on the synthesis and engineering of functional materials using cleanroom-based fabrication methods, including glancing-angle deposition, and electrochemical techniques to enhance catalytic performance. These materials have been applied in biosensors for monitoring health- and food spoilage-related biomarkers, as well as in the development of antimicrobial surfaces. Her second research area involves the recovery of critical elements from waste streams. She investigates the use of ionic liquids as both extractants and electrolytes for the electrochemical recovery of…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Paul Sagoe
Presentation title: Tiny but Mighty: Polymeric Platforms for Targeted Macrophage State Reprogramming in Osteoarthritis.
Speaker bio: Paul Sagoe is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering working with Prof. Era Jain at Syracuse University. His research focuses on developing macrophage-targeted micro- and nanotechnology platforms for drug delivery and immunomodulation in osteoarthritis and inflammatory diseases. He received his B.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, graduating with First Class Honors. Paul’s work has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the Syracuse University Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Student Research, the Bernard and Louise Rostker Doctoral Fellowship, and election as a Full Member of Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Honor Society. He has shared his research at more than 20 national and international conferences, where it has received over 10 trainee presentation awards. Paul is committed…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Samuel Adotey
Presentation title: Tailoring Ionic Conductivity of Polymeric Ionic Liquid Block Copolymers through Morphology Control
Speaker bio: Samuel Adotey is a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he conducts research at both UTK and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. His research focuses on polymeric ionic liquid block copolymers for energy storage applications. He emphasizes understanding how polymer chemistry, nanoscale morphology, and segmental dynamics influence ion transport in polymer electrolytes. By connecting fundamental polymer physics with practical materials design, his work aims to establish design principles for scalable, high-performance energy materials.
Samuel has published articles in prominent journals focused on polymer science and has presented his research at national conferences such as the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the American Physical Society (APS) meetings. He has received several honors, including the Award for Excellence in…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Distinguished Young Scholars Seminar: Mariah Arral
Presentation title: Diversity by Design: Sex, Age, and Disease Modeling for Inclusive Drug Delivery
Speaker bio: Mariah L. Arral is an NIH IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University, working with Dr. David Kaplan on silk-biomaterials. During her postdoctoral studies, Mariah has worked on tissue engineering for fibrosis modeling, silk microneedles, and silk plastics for long-acting delivery. Mariah received her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Dr. Kathryn Whitehead's lab. She was an NIH NIA NRSA F31 fellow and NSF GRFP fellow during her graduate tenure. Dr. Arral’s thesis focuses on developing new materials for lipid nanoparticles and on understanding the relationships among materials, delivery, immunogenicity, and biological variables such as age, sex, and model type.
Mariah’s career goal is to combine her Ph.D. and post-doctoral experiences to establish the Arral Age and Drug Delivery (AADD) Lab as a tenure-track professor.…
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/95913200235. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM.
Labor Day
Holidays
No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm.
Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Autumn. Event Types: Academics.
Monday, September 7, 2026.
For more info visit www.washington.edu. 2026 Department of Chemical Engineering Research Showcase
The Research Showcase aims to be an intellectual nexus of academics and industry representatives in the broader field of chemical engineering.
The event is set out to publicize the research done by our graduate students to their colleagues in industry, academia and entrepreneurship. It also provides students an opportunity to practice their presentation skills to a highly interdisciplinary audience and gain valuable feedback from people both in and outside of academia.
The symposium will include an industry keynote speaker, a panel discussion and student talks. We will conclude the event with graduate student posters showcasing the latest research in biotechnology, energy, materials engineering, and data science.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Nanoengineering & Sciences Building (NAN). Campus room: NAN 181 & Commons. Accessibility Contact: chenews@uw.edu. Event Types: Special Events. Academics. Exhibits.
Thursday, September 24, 2026, 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
For more info visit www.cheme.washington.edu.