Biofuels

Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a microscopic, single-celled algae with outsized potential. It is a leading contender to improve sustainable production of biodiesel and other products using seawater and carbon dioxide as raw materials. It captures and stores energy from light, grows quickly and contains a high proportion of lipids, which provide… Read More

Jack P. Williams (photo courtesy of ExxonMobil) Jack P. Williams (BE’86) launched his career as a drilling engineer for ExxonMobil in New Orleans and saw promotions that took him to Alaska and Malaysia before he settled into corporate headquarters in Texas. The Vanderbilt University School of Engineering… Read More

Sonia Brady, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering, at work in the Lang Laboratory. (Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt University) Nature exquisitely engineered a way to produce fuel from organic matter. The answer to how lies in decaying leaves on the forest floor or a backyard compost pile and the… Read More

Relieved undergraduates turned in their finals and jetted off for winter break a few weeks ago, leaving the halls at Vanderbilt University School of Engineering almost unnervingly empty. But there’s no break for research. Anyone in need of company could find labs full of Ph.D. candidates working practically… Read More