The University of Utah’s Department of Chemical Engineering is pleased to welcome three new faculty members as it continues to grow and flourish to meet the needs of its rising student body.
Michael Nigra (assistant professor)
Michael Nigra received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and his doctorate in chemical engineering from University of California, Berkeley, in 2013. He was a graduate research assistant at Berkeley from 2007 to 2013.
His research involves performing functional nanomaterial synthesis, characterization and applications testing. The majority of these materials have applications as catalysts for chemical and biochemical processes.
Thomas Zangle (assistant professor)
Thomas Zangle received his bachelor’s in engineering sciences from Dartmouth College in 2005 and a master’s and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He served a postdoctoral fellowship and was an adjunct assistant professor in bioengineering at the University of California, Los Angeles.
His research is in the development of technologies to evaluate the response of cancer cells to therapy. He also is examining mass transportation within single cells and developing microfluidic devices to extend the capabilities of current cell response measurements.
Huanan Zhang (assistant professor)
Huanan Zang received his bachelor’s in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 and a master’s and doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. He formerly was a graduate research assistant in chemical engineering in Michigan and a postdoctoral scholar in the bioscience and biotechnology division of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California.
His research is in the development in new nanomaterials for implantable electronics and designing nanobioelectronics for cellular modulation.