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Events

• Oct

  19

  ChBE Seminar Series: Lauren Valentino, Argonne National Laboratory

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  9:30 AM 1421, Frances Searle Building

  EVENT DETAILS

  The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by Lauren Valentino from Argonne National Laboratory as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.

  Lauren Valentino will present a seminar titled "Advancing Sustainable Energy Through Electrochemical and Membrane Separations Technologies.”

  The increasing energy demand is amplifying concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, and this is driving an energy transition to mitigate climate change, protect human health, and enhance energy security. Effective separation technologies play a key role in the production of clean energy, including bioenergy. In biorefining processes, the most energy-intensive and costly steps often involve the separation and purification of biofuels or their intermediates. As an alternative to thermal-based processes, electrochemical-based and pressure-driven membrane technologies offer several advantages, e.g., lower energy, carbon, and/or physical footprint, but both material and process engineering are required to transition these technologies to a commercial biorefinery scale. This talk will cover the development and application of capacitive deionization (CDI), an electrochemical technology, for extracting organic biofuel precursors as well as inorganic salts, which may limit the lifetime of upgrading catalysts. Insight into the stability of carbon-based electrodes under practical conditions will be presented. One limitation of electrochemical separations is that they are primarily focused on charged species, whereas pressure-driven membrane technologies are broadly applicable to both charged and uncharged solutes. Despite the possibility of significant energy savings, similar chemistries and properties among commercially available nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes make them susceptible to operational problems, such as membrane fouling and chemical degradation. This talk will highlight the potential for organic solvent nanofiltration applications and discuss need for membranes with controlled selectivity. In addition, the use of computational simulations will explore how different functional groups within organic frameworks impact critical membrane performance parameters, e.g., membrane permeance and solute rejection. Finally, the challenges and opportunities associated with implementation of these processes in real-world applications, including the need for further research on electrode and membrane materials, system design, and optimization will be discussed.

  Dr. Lauren Valentino is an Environmental Engineer in the Applied Materials Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She leads the Bioprocessing Separations Consortium, a multi-national laboratory collaborative effort that is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office and aims to address technical challenges associated with cost-effective production of biofuels and bioproducts. At Argonne, Lauren is working to address the challenges associated with clean and sustainable water and energy supplies. More specifically, her research focuses on material and technology development for various separation applications, including desalination, product/resource recovery, and carbon dioxide capture. Lauren completed her B.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a minor in Chemistry in 2011, M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering in 2013, and Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering in 2017, all at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

  Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!

  *Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.

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  TIME Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 1421, Frances Searle Building    map it

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  CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  4

  BTP Seminar Series: Sean Kevlahan, Nanite

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  12:00 PM LR4, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  Polymer, Platform, Partner: Lessons from Two Biotech Startups

  Sean Kevlahan’s entrepreneurial journey began with the cofounding of Quad Technologies, a startup focused on cell separation and activation technologies to enable scalable cell
  therapy manufacturing. As CEO, Sean guided Quad from concept to commercialization, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Bio-Techne. At Bio-Techne, he transitioned into a leadership role where he launched and scaled the Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, spearheading strategic initiatives that expanded the company’s footprint in advanced therapeutics. Driven by a continued passion for genetic medicine and delivery innovation,
  Sean went on to co-found Nanite—a next-generation non-viral gene delivery company. At Nanite, Sean is now leading the development of programmable polymer nanoparticles designed to unlock targeted, durable expression of therapeutic proteins and peptides via DNA delivery. His journey reflects a deep commitment to building platform technologies at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, and medicine, with the goal of transforming how genetic medicines are delivered and developed.

  Sean Kevlahan is the CEO and co-founder of Nanite, a biotechnology company pioneering the design of programmable polymer nanoparticles for non-viral gene delivery. He holds a
  B.S. in Biochemistry from Hofstra University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University. Throughout his career, Sean has worked at the intersection of materials science and genetic medicine. Prior to founding Nanite, he cofounded Quad Technologies, which was acquired by Bio-Techne. Following the acquisition, Sean went on to nucleate Bio-Techne’s Cell and Gene Therapy business unit, where he led all strategic initiatives in the CGT space.

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  TIME Wednesday, June 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

  LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Will Chaussee    william.chaussee@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  5

  ChBE Seminar Series: TBA

  McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  9:30 AM LR5, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  More details to come.

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  TIME Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION LR5, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

• Jun

  15

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

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  TIME Sunday, June 15, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILS

  McCormick School of Engineering PhD Hooding and Master's Degree Recognition Ceremony. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  16

  Northwestern Engineering Undergraduate Convocation

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  2:00 PM 2705 Ashland Ave

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  McCormick School of Engineering Undergraduate Convocation. The most up to date information can be found on our graduation webpage.

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  TIME Monday, June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

  LOCATION 2705 Ashland Ave   

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  CONTACT Northwestern Engineering Events    northwestern-engineering-events@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Jun

  23

  Summer classes begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Summer classes begin

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  TIME Monday, June 23, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  16

  Fall 2025 Classes Begin

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall 2025 Classes Begin

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  TIME Tuesday, September 16, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar