Corie L. Cobb elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors

Corie L. Cobb, ME professor and Washington Research Foundation Innovation Professor in Clean Energy, has been named a 2024 Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. Those chosen for induction have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, eco Read More

MolES launches Pilot Awards to fuel groundbreaking interdisciplinary research

Nov. 4, 2024

Four UW faculty teams received the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute’s (MolES) new Pilot Awards. These awards aim to seed new research initiatives and support preliminary data generation. They are sponsored by MolES with matching funds from the Sepsis Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) and Kidney Research Institute (KRI). A four-member committee from the sponsoring institutes chose the projects. Each team will receive up to $10,000 in funding to kickstart their work.

The awards were created after several scientific exchanges with MolES faculty, SCORE and KRI members. Read More

Revolutionizing Sustainable Materials: Strain Learning Metamaterials Inspired by Nature

Imagine a material that can be stretched and pulled out of shape that not only returns to its original shape but also grows stiffer and stronger each time. University of Washington researchers have developed a new “strain learning” metamaterial. Inspired by how nature strengthens materials—like how bones repair themselves or how spider silk becomes stronger when stressed—this innovation could significantly impact industries that rely on durable, adaptable materials, especially medicine. Their work, “Strain learning in protein-based mechanical metamaterials,” has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

MolES professor David Baker receives Nobel Prize

Computational biologist David Baker, professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine, director of the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design, and member of the Molecular Engineering and Science Institute, has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for computational protein design.

He shares the Nobel Prize with Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper of DeepMind, who were honored for protein structure prediction.

The award, announced today, Oct. 9, by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, will be presented in a ceremony Dec. Read More

MolES launches new Scientific Advisory Council

The University of Washington Molecular Engineering and Science (MolES) Institute established its first scientific advisory council.  The council will advise the MolES leadership on strategic areas of opportunity as the Institute strives toward its mission to foster scientific exchanges and new collaborations among MolES members, the wider UW research community, and industry leaders from biotech and cleantech.    

Meet our new UW MolE cohort

The Molecular Engineering and Science Institute (MolES) is excited to introduce the newest cohort of Ph.D. candidates to the Molecular Engineering program. Their pioneering research, which spans diverse fields such as advanced drug delivery systems and sustainable material innovation, has the potential to revolutionize industries and tackle some of the most urgent global challenges. Get to know our 13 new students.

Cole DeForest named new Director of Education at UW Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute

Cole DeForest, Weyerhaeuser Endowed Professor and associate chair for graduate studies in chemical engineering, has been appointed Director of Education at the Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute (MolES). DeForest succeeds Alshakim Nelson, NIST Faculty Fellow and professor of chemistry. DeForest will lead the Molecular Engineering (MolE) Ph.D. Program, an interdisciplinary graduate program housed in the UW Graduate School and administered by the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute. He will direct the academic program and oversee a faculty committee responsible for curriculum, admissions, and student oversight. Read More