Welcome

Welcome to the Kenis research group in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Illinois!

In modern science and engineering, some of the best opportunities for research come at the borders between existing fields. We pursue exploratory, multidisciplinary research in the area of microchemical systems with the goal to address problems of fundamental or applied/societal relevance.

Several of our research projects aim to develop stand-alone microscale devices for specific applications such as fuel reforming, power generation (i.e. fuel cells), radioisotope labeling of biomolecules, crystallization screening, drug discovery, disease diagnostics, stem cell sorting, and liquid-based manufacturing. Other projects seek to create and use microscale platforms that enable more fundamental studies, including the unraveling mechanisms in cell biology, protein folding, membrane protein crystallization, and charge transport at the solid-liquid interface. Also, some or our efforts are geared to advance microfluidic technology through the development of novel microfluidic device architectures, novel architectures for pneumatic and electrostatic valves, and multiplexed sensor arrays.

Our approach is multidisciplinary in that we integrate concepts and expertise from different engineering disciplines and the chemical & biological sciences. The development of microchemical systems often entails more than 'mere' miniaturization of identical macro or meso-scale systems. Designs need to be adjusted to account for, or even utilize, the characteristics of the microscale. In several of our efforts we collaborate with other researchers in academia and industry, with backgrounds in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, and Animal Science.