In the news

Farnam Jahanian Named President of Carnegie Mellon University

  • By Burcu Ozden
  • 13 March 2018

Farnam Jahanian, the nationally recognized computer scientist, successful entrepreneur, senior public servant and respected leader in higher education, has been appointed as the 10th president of Carnegie Mellon University. The appointment is effective immediately, with a formal inauguration scheduled for fall 2018.

Jahanian holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

He currently serves as chair of the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB), sits on the executive committee of the Council on Competitiveness, and is a trustee of the Dietrich Foundation. He also is a board member of the Computing Research Association (CRA), the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, among others.

 

Jim Bain named ECE's new Associate Department Head for Academic Affairs

  • By Burcu Ozden
  • 28 February 2018

 James Bain was recently named ECE's new Associate Department Head for Academic Affairs, effective June 1, 2018. In his new role, Bain will extend his work with the Graduate Studies Committee to the entire student body and play a vital role in establishing ECE's long-term educational strategy.

Congratulations!

Peng Liu receives the 2018 Award in Early Excellence in Physical Organic Chemistry

  • By Burcu Ozden
  • 28 February 2018

Peng Liu has been named the winner of the 2018 Award in Early Excellence in Physical Organic Chemistry, sponsored by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  The award presentation will take place at the Reaction Mechanisms Conference, to be held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 10-13, 2018, where he will receive the honorarium of $5000 and a plaque.

Congratulations!
 

Frolov and Team Featured on Pitt Website

  • By Burcu Ozden
  • 12 January 2018

PQI Members Sergey Frolov, David Pekker, Noa Marom, Michael Hatridge, Benjamin Hunt, and Hrvoje Petek featured on Pitt Website for their accomplisment on landing $4.8M award from National Science Foundation (NSF) for International Research and Education (PIRE) program.Sergey Frolov will be the Director of new PIRE.  Hrvoje Petek, Michael Hatridge and David Pekker are other PQI co-PIs for this project. The duration of the program is 5 years.

Thermal Conductivity of Metal Organic Frameworks

  • By Jennifer Zheng
  • 7 February 2023

Metal organic frameworks, or MOFs, are kind of like LEGOs.

The pieces are simple to connect, yet they’re capable of building highly sophisticated structures. These structures can be used to filter toxic gasses out of the air or to store fuel for natural or hydrogen gas-powered engines. 

LEGOs melt when they interact with heat. But, what happens to MOFs? 

Recent Articles from Prof. Peng Liu and Prof. Sunil Saxena Featured on Journal Covers

  • By Jennifer Zheng
  • 9 November 2022

A collaborative publication involving the labs of Prof. Peng Liu in the Department of Chemistry and Prof. Yang Yang from the University of California Santa Barbara was featured on the cover of a recent issue the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The joint computational and experimental study investigated the mechanism of a C(sp3)-H functionalization reaction carried out by an engineered metalloenzyme. In the course of the team’s work, they established exactly how the enzyme active site dictates the stereochemical outcome of the radical process. Collectively, the results provide important new insights into...

How Imperfections Can Actually Improve Alloys

  • By Jennifer Zheng
  • 1 November 2022

Sometimes, in creating an alloy out of multiple metals, defects and structural instability can occur in the material. Now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are harnessing those imperfections to make the material stronger while retaining its flexibility.

The investigators are designing metastable alloys that can overcome the well-known trade off between strength and ductility, revealing a strategy that can create alloys suited to a broad range of applications. . . 

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