ChemBE Seminar Series: Frank Gu

Description

Frank Gu, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, will give a talk titled "From Drug Delivery to Net-Zero: Driving Material Innovations for a Sustainable Future" for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Refreshments will follow the lecture.

Gu is also the director of the Institute for Water Innovation in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada senior industrial research chair in nanotechnology engineering.

Abstract:

In the ever-advancing world of materials science, the fusion of nanomaterials with digital science signals a new chapter in materials discovery. Research activities in Gu's lab focus on combining the principles of chemical engineering with the innovations of nanotechnology, to customize material designs specifically for applications in life sciences and environmental remediation. The seminar will introduce several major activities in Gu's lab for therapeutics delivery design using polymeric nanoparticles to generate a set of digital "fingerprint"-like interactions with biological structures, to improve precisions in mucoadhesion for ocular drug delivery. This talk will also highlight recent advancements in the design of materials for solar-powered catalysis and their transformative potential as a viable and sustainable option for achieving the goal of net-zero emissions in industrial water management by 2050.

Learn more about the speaker.