Advancing Innovation

Supported by major grants, Villanova Engineering faculty members embark on groundbreaking research

Cleaner water and energy. Safer ships. Better treatments for and monitoring of Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis and kidney transplants.

Faculty members in the College of Engineering are pursuing innovative research with the potential to make a significant impact on society. And institutions are taking notice: Over the first three quarters of fiscal year 2023, our researchers’ work was recognized with $8.5 million in funding, including multiple seven-figure grants and two prestigious early-career-level awards. This research productivity spans all Engineering departments and five other units or centers of excellence in the College.

Learn more about some of the important projects being pursued by Villanova Engineering.

Laura Bracaglia, PhD, Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

National Institutes of Health: “Tailored siRNA Delivery to Human Endothelium to Inhibit and Reverse Inflammatory Damage in the Kidney”

One of the newest members of the College’s faculty, Dr. Bracaglia is exploring an innovative therapeutic strategy to prevent injury in transplanted kidneys. The research, which Dr. Bracaglia began as a postdoctoral fellow in Yale University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, involves the direct treatment of endothelial cells to reduce the impact of dysfunctional inflammation, a condition that can lead to adverse kidney graft outcomes in transplants.

David Cereceda, PhD, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering

US Department of Energy: “Unraveling Transmutation Effects in Tungsten-Based PlasmaFacing Materials”

Nuclear fusion made headlines in December as national researchers announced a breakthrough in their attempts to harness this clean energy source. Dr. Cereceda has studied fusion energy for more than a decade and was recently honored with a coveted Early Career Award from the US Department of Energy, the first for a Villanova faculty member. The five-year grant will support his efforts to facilitate the discovery, development and deployment of next-generation plasma-facing materials for fusion energy applications.

Meltem Izzetoglu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

National Institutes of Health: “Early Assessment of Cognitive Decline Using Multimodal Neuroimaging with Embedded Artificial Intelligence”

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are highly prevalent among older people worldwide, presenting numerous physical, mental, emotional and financial burdens for these individuals and their caregivers. In an effort to improve early detection and monitoring of cognitive decline, Dr. Izzetoglu and her collaborators from Villanova University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Drexel University are developing a toolchain for the assessment of mild cognitive impairments using multimodal neuroimaging and machine learning methods.

Michele Marcolongo, PhD, PE, Drosdick Endowed Dean of Engineering; Professor, Mechanical Engineering

National Institutes of Health: “Molecular Engineering of Cartilage PCM Mechanotransduction in Osteoarthritis Using Biomimetic Proteoglycans”

Dean Marcolongo and a team of researchers from Drexel University, Tulane University and the University of Delaware developed a therapy that could prevent those with osteoarthritis from experiencing pain or joint damage and avoid needing surgery. Through this five-year NIH grant, the team will further their research on their innovation, biomimetic proteoglycans, which are labengineered molecules that have been found to repair damaged cartilage when injected into joints.

C. Nataraj, PhD, Moritz Endowed Professor of Engineered Systems Director, Villanova Center for Analytics of Dynamic Systems

Office of Naval Research: “Modeling Techniques for Dynamic Systems Using Nonlinear Physics and Machine Learning with Application to PEPDS and Other Naval Systems”

Increasingly, the US Navy is deploying machine learning to manage the dynamic systems underlying its modern fleet. Over the next four-and-a-half years, Dr. Nataraj will fuse physics, artificial intelligence and data from sensors to accurately predict the response in countless number of seemingly random scenarios ships may face in both daily and wartime service. With the predictions, the goal is to optimize the in-built dynamic systems to advance the functionality and performance of the fleet.

Kristin Sample-Lord, PhD, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

National Science Foundation: “Coupled Phenomena Resilience and Dynamics in Bentonite Barriers”

Dr. Sample-Lord’s research on bentonite earned her the prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation, the fourth for a Villanova Engineering professor in five years. Bentonite, a type of clay, is used to protect industrial, municipal and radioactive waste from reaching water supplies and the environment. The five-year grant will allow Dr. Sample-Lord to study the long-term effectiveness of these barriers under changing and intensifying environmental conditions.