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Nearly 21,000 people worldwide experience ischemic strokes every day, threatening long-term disability or even death. In recent years, clot-busting drugs and mechanical tools for removing them have revolutionized care, but even with the clot gone and the vessel clear, up to 50% of patients never recover neurologically. New research, led by Assistant Professor Debanjan Mukherjee, reveals in unprecedented detail how the brain’s own defense mechanisms against stroke can backfire, triggering additional micro-clots in minor vessels which can damage tissue long after the primary culprit is gone.

Fourth-year PhD student Olivia Felton is helping advance research aimed at improving mobility and quality of life for individuals living with movement challenges. Watch the video to learn how Felton’s passion for movement led her to engineering research—and how she's helping shape the future of mobility through innovation.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming nearly 20 million lives every year. For many patients, tiny tubes called vascular grafts can be an effective, short-term solution. However, the synthetic implants also come with problems of their own that make them inadequate for long-term use. Associate Professor Wei Tan is trying to change that by working with BME undergraduate student Anagha Varada to develop a new, multilayered vascular graft that mimics the structure of natural blood vessels, allowing them to regenerate.

As wildfires burn through trees, grasses and other vegetation, heat from the flames set off thousands of chemical reactions at once. But while scientists can see the products of these reactions, what happens in between is much harder to understand. Sixth-year PhD student Jas Shahanand is finding ways to study these chemical reactions, giving researchers a closer look at the hidden chemistry of combustion. He believes the work could be the foundation for more accurate wildfire emissions models, improved climate prediction and even cleaner fuel sources in the future.

Chunmei Ban has received a Fulbright Global Scholar award to explore the future of energy storage through next-generation battery technologies. The award will support collaborations with researchers in Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany, where Ban will study safer battery materials, investigate emerging non-lithium battery alternatives and strengthen global partnerships in battery research and education.

The Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering at ÂÌñ»»ÆÞ is welcoming four new faculty members this fall semester. From renewable energy technologies and robotic optimization to engineering education and computing, these talented scientists and engineers bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to our teaching and research missions.