Our department has been leading efforts in designing and engineering improved steps for nanoparticle synthesis that are allowing us to develop new reactors/contactors to control nanoparticle mean size and polydispersity. Efforts are also ongoing to unravel systems level properties of complex cell signalling and transcription networks applying ideas from reaction network theory, with the goal of identifying novel drug targets and outcomes of intervention. Another key theme has been to understand the mineral-microbe interactions that can be utilized for bioprocessing of various industrial materials. Using detailed mathematical models for coupling multiphase transport phenomena and biochemical reaction kinetics in bioreactors, problems in bioleaching of minerals and ores, biological adsorption of toxic metals and biomethanation of biomass are being addressed.
