Labs, Centers and BME Affiliates
3D MICROPHYSIOLOGY SYSTEM LAB
Contact: Sylvia Natividad-Diaz, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Organ-on-a-chip, Tissue-on-a-chip, Cardiovascular/Neutral tissue engineering, hiPSCs, Microfluidics, 3D Printing, microphysiological systems (MPS)
Website: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/3dmpsl/
The 3D Microphysiology System Lab develops three-dimensional microphysiological systems (MPS), including cardiovascular, neural and cancer tissue models, along with additively manufactured microfluidic platforms.
Research supports patient-specific drug discovery, toxicity screening and fundamental studies in precision medicine.
CAMINO SOUTH - CENTER FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING AND INNOVATION
Contact(s): Pedro Cortes, Ph.D., CAMINO South PI / Carmen Rocha, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Additive Manufacturing, Hierarchical Structures, High-Performance Materials, Materials Characterization, Composite Materials, Materials Chemistry
The Center of Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO-South) a collaboration with Sandia National Laboratory advances scientific and engineering solutions in nuclear and hypersonic applications, including microelectronics and battery technologies that support energy and defense needs.
Research focuses on additive manufacturing of ceramics, metals and multifunctional composites, with an emphasis on microstructural engineering, defect reduction and optimizing the relationship between processing, structure and performance. Efforts integrate materials characterization, feedstock development and advanced manufacturing strategies to improve densification, fracture resistance, thermal management and overall functional performance.
DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND NANO-THERAPEUTICS INNOVATION LABORATORY
Contact: Wilson Poon, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Nanomaterials, Nanomedicine, Drug & gene delivery, Protein engineering, Bioimaging
Website: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/destination/
The Delivery Systems and Nano-Therapeutics Innovation Laboratory focuses on the targeted delivery of drugs and biologics for disease prevention and treatment. The laboratory develops high-throughput and high-content tools to investigate how chemical and biological factors affect the efficiency and effectiveness of nanomedicine delivery.
Using data on nanoparticle–biological interactions combined with computational analyses, the lab guides the design of next-generation nanomaterials and delivery strategies with potential clinical applications.
ESTRELLA - ENERGY STORAGE AND ELECTRONICS 3D PRINTING LABORATORIES
Contact: Alexis Maurel, Ph.D. / Ana Cristina Martínez Maciel, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Advanced manufacturing, Energy Storage (Lithium-ion Batteries, Sodium-ion Batteries), Energy conversion (Thermoelectrics), Nanotechnology, Materials Chemistry, Electrochemistry, Composite Material Feedstock Formulation for 3D Printing, Multifunctional batteries (Structural/Flexible Batteries), Polymers, Ceramics and Metals
Website: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/estrella/
The ESTRELLA – Energy Storage and Electronics 3D Printing Laboratories advance research in next-generation energy storage and conversion materials, including lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, thermoelectric systems, and other functional materials. The lab leverages advanced additive manufacturing and materials design to create architected components from polymers, ceramics, and metals.
Research at ESTRELLA explores multifunctional energy systems, such as structural batteries that combine mechanical load-bearing with electrochemical performance, and flexible batteries for emerging applications. The lab focuses on enhancing device performance through novel material synthesis, material modification, understanding operational mechanisms, and identifying degradation pathways.
Additional efforts include scalable manufacturing strategies for complex energy devices, additive manufacturing of diverse materials, advanced electrochemical techniques, and sustainable approaches for electric vehicle batteries and materials recycling.
FAME - FABRICATION OF ADVANCED MATERIALS ENGINEERING
Contact: Stella Quinones, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Corrosion Engineering and Testing, Materials Characterization, Stainless Steels, Coatings
The Fabrication of Advanced Materials Engineering Laboratory focuses on the corrosion of advanced alloys and systems, including stainless steels, 3D printed alloys and high-entropy alloys (HEAs).
Research enables the development of alloys for high temperature applications and corrosive environments.
Materials for Extreme Environments Laboratory
Contact: Sri Dasari, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Alloy design, Phase Transformations, Deformation, Irradiation, Additive Manufacturing, High-Performance Materials
The Materials for Extreme Environments Laboratory focuses on developing materials that support energy innovation and environmental sustainability. Research uses advanced microstructural characterization to study thermodynamics, kinetics, deformation and irradiation behavior in alloys.
Target applications include nuclear energy, aerospace and hypersonic systems, where materials must perform reliably under extreme conditions.
PEL - POLYMER EXTRUSION LAB
Contact: David Roberson, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Materials Characterization, 4D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Polymer Failure Analysis, Polymer Degradation, Upcycling and Sustainability
The Polymer Extrusion Lab has been advancing the development and characterization of novel thermoplastic materials for additive manufacturing since 2012.
Research includes materials with tunable electromagnetic properties, radiation shielding capabilities and shape memory behavior. Current efforts focus on developing a new class of resilient engineering polymers with the ability to self-heal, self-strengthen, resist creep and recover from mechanical and chemical damage. The lab also brings strong expertise in polymer characterization, including specimen preparation for electron microscopy.
UDML - UTEP DYNAMIC MATERIAL LABORATORY
Contact: Brian Schuster, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Dynamic Response of Materials, Synchrotron Based Characterization and Manufacturing of Materials
The UTEP Dynamic Materials Laboratory develops and applies advanced, small-scale and high-throughput experimental techniques to accelerate the design of high-performance structural materials.
Research focuses on rapidly engineering materials for aerospace and defense applications, enabling faster development cycles and improved performance in demanding environments.
CASSMAR - Center for the Advancement of Space Safety and Mission Assurance Research
Contact: Shalayna Smith, Ph.D.
Area of Focus: Micrometeroid and Orbital Debris, Hypervelocity impact testing and analysis, Materials degradation in extreme environment, Spacecraft failure modes, workforce development
Website: https://www.utep.edu/engineering/cassmar/
The Center for the Advancement of Space Safety and Mission Assurance Research (CASSMAR) connects UTEP researchers and students with government and commercial spaceflight partners. The center advances spaceflight safety and mission success by conducting targeted research on emerging risks and training the next generation of spaceflight engineers and scientists.
Biomedical Device, Delivery, and Diagnostic Lab (B3D)
Contact: Thomas Boland, Ph.D
The Biomedical Device, Delivery, and Diagnostic lab (B3D), headed by Dr. Thomas Boland, is focused on the research, innovation, and fabrication.
Clinical Applied Physiology (CAPh) Lab
Contact(s): Alvaro Gurovich, Ph.D
The CAPh Lab studies the effects of common lifestyle interventions (e.g. exercise and nutritional supplements) in the cardiovascular system, more specifically in the pathophysiological interactions with atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is associated with 90% of cardiac diseases and stroke.
Han's Lab
Contact: Kyung-An Han, Ph.D
Neuromodulation is a fundamental physiological phenomenon underlying behavioral plasticity. Using a comprehensive research program that employs cellular, molecular, genetic, chemical, pharmacological and behavioral approaches, our goal is to explore the cellular and biochemical nature.
Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry Lab
Contact: Katja Michael, Ph.D
Our group has two different research focuses: a) Photochemical acylation method development and application to biomolecules b) Development of carbohydrate-based diagnostic tools and vaccines for parasitic diseases.
