Research @ UVA Engineering

Engineering for a Sustainable Future

Engineering a better future will require the best work of researchers collaborating along the spectrum from the tiniest building blocks of materials through the complex workings of entire societal systems. We work at the micro- and nano-scale in fields like heat transfer, catalysis and 2-D materials to identify fundamental properties of matter. Our goal is not simply to conduct research, but to pursue research with positive global impact.

Research Area

Optics, Photonics and Sensing Energy, Transportation and the Environment Materials Engineering & Nanotechnology
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  • UVA Researchers Develop New Coatings To Boost Turbine Engine Efficiency

    A multidisciplinary UVA-led research group has formulated new protective coatings to allow turbine engines to run hotter — with potential dividends for the environment and people.

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  • Fast Company: How Hemp Plants Can Clean Up ‘Forever Chemicals’

    Chemical engineering’s Bryan Berger hopes his $1.6 million Environmental Protection Agency grant will eventually lead to a DIY protocol for removing toxic chemicals from farmland.

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  • Systems and Information Engineering 2.0: The Future of Complex Systems

    Opinion: Integrating AI with human insight to revolutionize smart systems for a modern world.

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  • UVA Professor Receives $690,000 DOE Grant to Boost Energy Efficiency in Semiconductors

    Patrick E. Hopkins teams with NREL Center on Sustainability project. 

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  • Why Gulf Hurricanes Threaten Virginia, Southeast

    Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, but has impacted thousand outside of the state. A UVA Engineering expert explains how and why this happens.

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  • If an Asteroid Heads Toward Earth, How Close to Harm's Way Will We Be?

    Joshua Handal, a 2012 UVA Engineering alumnus, explains why the best offense against meteors is the NASA Planetary Defense Coordination Office.

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  • UVA Awarded $8M DARPA Grant to Develop Next-Generation Optical Detectors

    UVA is leading a groundbreaking project to create highly sensitive optical detectors to advance technologies in healthcare, defense and communications.

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  • UVA Engineering Professor Awarded $1.6M EPA Grant to Reduce PFAS Accumulation in Crops

    Bryan Berger will investigate how PFAS accumulates on farms and develop strategies to reduce exposure. 

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    • The Engineering-Girls Formula: Show Science, Create Welcoming Space, Add Acts of Kindness

    During Engineering-Girls week, UVA Engineering students, faculty and staff rolled out the red carpet and lit Bunsen burners for the next generation of female students.

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    Caring About Catalysis: Can UVA Make Wastewater Gas Fully Renewable?

    Wastewater may be gross, but it has the beautiful potential to be reused as industrial methane. UVA Engineering is collaborating on a fully renewable natural gas feasibility study. 

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  • 2 New UVA Minors Emphasize Tech Ethics and Social Responsibility

    UVA Engineering introduces two minors to help meet the critical need for conscientious engineers, leaders and policymakers.

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  • Bonding Over Bacteria: Doctoral Student and Undergrad Pore Over ‘Double Hoo’ Research

    Ph.D. candidate Rhea Braun and undergraduate student Eliza Mills team up through UVA’s Double Hoo program to study bacterial movement. 

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