2025 - A YEAR IN REVIEW

January 2026

A YEAR IN REVIEW

Dear Friends,

2025 marked a year of significant achievement for the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, with national recognition, impactful research, and continued progress in education and innovation. These accomplishments, extending beyond campus, were made possible by the commitment and collaboration of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners. We wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026.

Sincerely,

Giuseppe R. Palmese, Ph.D.

Dean, Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

NSF CAREER award of $650K advances nanoparticle research in maternal health

Rachel Riley, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, is applying her expertise in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs)—tiny, fat-based particles that can deliver therapeutics and genetic material to specific tissues—to better understand and treat pregnancy-related diseases such as preeclampsia.

Yenkie earns national recognition for chemical engineering education

Kirti Yenkie, Ph.D., an associate professor of chemical engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, has received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Sustainable Engineering Forum’s Education Award for 2025. She accepted the award on Nov. 3 at the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting in Boston.

Nath, Vernengo named 2025 Engineering Unleashed Fellows

Paromita Nath, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Andrea Vernengo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering, have received national recognition for innovative teaching that prepares engineering graduates to create economic, societal and personal value throughout their careers.

Both faculty members from the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering were named 2025 Engineering Unleashed Fellows, an honor awarded to 29 engineering faculty from 23 institutions nationwide.

New Rowan lab is super-powered to advance manufacturing through artificial intelligence

As artificial intelligence and large language models continue to transform industries, engineers face the challenge of integrating intelligent systems with real-world manufacturing. Rowan University’s Digital Engineering Hub (DEHub), launched this fall in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering’s Rowan Hall and directed by Antonios Kontsos, Ph.D., is addressing that challenge by merging smart technology with advanced manufacturing in a state-of-the-art lab capable of digitizing physical objects and producing new designs developed by both humans and machines.

Improving production of crystalline medications

Gerard Capellades, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemical engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, studies crystallization, or crystal formation, in the production of pharmaceuticals. His findings have the potential to improve the processes for making crystalline medications, which include painkillers, antibiotics and antidepressants.

Rowan University researchers develop injectable biomaterial to aid spinal cord repair

A team of researchers at Rowan University has developed a groundbreaking injectable biomaterial that could significantly improve recovery after spinal cord injuries. Published in the journal Biomaterials, the study describes a multifunctional hydrogel system designed to address the complex biological conditions that limit regeneration in the central nervous system. Led by Louis S. Paone and Peter A. Galie, Ph.D., in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, the research combines multiple therapeutic agents into a single, minimally invasive injectable platform, using engineered hyaluronic acid as a nanocarrier embedded in a temperature-sensitive gel that solidifies at the injury site.

Rowan University graduate selected for prestigious Fulbright Research Award

Matthew Conway, a Rowan University Class of 2025 graduate and member of the John H. Martinson Honors College, has been selected to receive the prestigious Fulbright Research Award to Chile for 2025-2026. A double major in chemical engineering and Spanish, Conway will spend nine months abroad contributing to research on Atlantic salmon fisheries.

The Haddon Township resident will join the team of Joel Barraza Soto, an aquaculture professor at Universidad Católica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. Conway was chosen to assist in work to improve the treatment of aquaculture wastewater before its release into local waterways.

Rowan nets NSF award to develop accurate assessment tools for engineering ethics courses

Kevin Dahm, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, wants engineering students to conduct such nuanced ethics discussions in the classroom where the stakes are low.

Rowan University professor emerita named Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year

Longtime Rowan University chemical engineering professor Zenaida Otero Gephardt, Ph.D., has been recognized as Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year by the Engineers’ Club of Philadelphia. Gephardt was jointly nominated for this honor—which recognizes professional excellence, civic duty, environmental stewardship and enhancement of society—by the Delaware Valley section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers.

Navy research labs partner with Rowan University

Rowan University has signed a landmark partnership agreement with Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD Lakehurst) aimed at encouraging innovative research collaborations with small businesses and private industry.