News, Events & CEMS Seminars
CEMS Logo on wall in Amundson Hall

Department Events

Apr 23 Thu 1:25pm

David Schaffer seminar (Fredrickson Lecture)

Apr 24 Fri 9:00am

2026 Minnesota Crucible Prize

Apr 28 Tue 1:25pm

Judy Cha seminar

May 14 Thu 8:00am

Peter O. Stahl Advanced Design Forum

Spring 2026 CEMS Seminar Schedule

MARCH

Tuesday, Mar. 31: Ana Torres, Carnegie Mellon University

 

APRIL

Tuesday, Apr. 7: Moon Park, Pohang University of Science and Technology

Thursday, Apr. 16: James Kakalios, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Physics

Thursday, Apr. 23: David Schaffer, University of California, Berkeley (Fredrickson Lecture)

Tuesday, Apr. 28: Judy Cha, Cornell University

CEMS Named Seminar Series and Lectures

The Aris Lecture Series

The late Regents Professor Rutherford Aris was a luminary in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. The Aris Lecture Series occurs approximately every 5 years and focuses on the common bond between science and the arts. 

The Fredrickson Lecture

The Fredrickson Lecture was established in 2001 to honor the late Professor Arnold (Arnie) Fredrickson upon his retirement and foster broader intellectual interaction between undergraduate and graduate students. The Fredrickson lecture includes both a departmental seminar and an undergraduate lecture in the biomolecular engineering course.

The Amundson Lecture 

The annual Amundson Lecture features a guest speaker that embodies the tenets of Professor Neal R. Amundson in scholarship and innovation in the fields of chemical engineering and materials science. Amundson, department head from 1949-1974, was a visionary leader who pioneered the application of mathematics in chemical engineering.

The Singh Entrepreneurship Lecture

The Singh Entrepreneurship Lecture was established in 2025 by a generous donation from Navjot and Nithya Singh. Its purpose is to increase awareness of entrepreneurship in the disciplines of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. This lecture serves as a venue for academics to tell the story of how they translated their research from the lab to a successful company, and tends to be a combination of science, business and storytelling versus a more traditional seminar.

Department News

Graphic for MRS 2026 conference

Join CEMS at the 2026 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/17/2026) — The 2026 MRS Spring Meeting & Exhibit will feature a series of engaging presentations by CEMS researchers.

Andre wearing a blue button up

Andre Mkhoyan Named Distinguished McKnight University Professor

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/15/2026) — The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science congratulates Professor Andre Mkhoyan on receiving the University of Minnesota’s 2025 Distinguished McKnight University Professorship.

The sky is seen reflected on Amundson Hall's glass wall.

Announcing a New Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Data Science for CEMS

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/07/2026) — The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science is pleased to announce a new Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Data Science for Chemical and Materials Engineering.

Prodromos wearing a blue button up.

Prodromos Daoutidis Awarded IChemE Sargent Medal

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/07/2026) — Professor Prodromos Daoutidis has been awarded the Sargent Medal from the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in recognition of his significant research contributions to computer-aided product and process engineering.

A headshot of assistant professor Chris Bartel. He has a big smile, wears a light blue button up, and stands in front of a blurry background.

Chris Bartel Named 2026 McKnight Land-Grant Professor

Posted

We are proud to share that Assistant Professor Chris Bartel has been named a 2026 McKnight Land Grant Professor!

Bharat and a student in the lab

‘Tuning’ nonmagnetic material reveals hidden magnetic state

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (04/01/2026) — Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have discovered a new way to turn a common, nonmagnetic material into a high-temperature “altermagnet”—a recently proposed and unusual form of magnetism.

flag

Designing Metal Surfaces from the Interface Up: A New Path Toward Tunable Catalysis and Electronics

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/30/2026) — Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering have discovered a new way to control the electronic behavior of a metal, by engineering atomic-scale polarization at an interface.

A headshot of student Ben Magrunder.

CEMS Alum Benjamin Magruder Named 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/27/2026) — The Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science is proud to announce that Benjamin Magruder (Ph.D. ’25, Chemical Engineering) has been named a recipient of the 2026 Schmidt Science Fellows award.

The ME Bladesmithing team holding their blade

CEMS Bladesmithing Team Wins First Place at 2026 TMS Competition

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/27/2026) — Congratulations to the CEMS Material Advantage student bladesmithing team on winning first place at the 2026 TMS Bladesmithing Competition.

Lynn wearing a blue button up. and cardigan

Lynn M. Walker Elected to Serve as Future Chair of APS DPOLY Division

Posted

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (03/24/2026) — CEMS Professor Lynn M. Walker has been elected Vice Chair of the Division of Polymer Physics (DPOLY) of the American Physical Society (APS). She took over the position at the Global Summit Meeting in March 2026 and will serve as Chair-Elect and then Chair of the Division in subsequent years.