ChBE faculty earn Air Force Young Investigator Award
Assistant ProfessorsKōnane Bay ԻAnkur Guptafrom CU Boulder’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering have been honored with the 2025 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Program Award.
Each received a$450,000, three-year grant to advance research relevant to the Air Force.The program, offered by the Air Force Research Laboratory, supports early-career scientists and engineers with “exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research,” according to the AFOSR.
“This is among the most prestigious awards given to junior faculty, and to have both Ankur and Kōnane receive it in the same year is a remarkable testimony to their impressive achievements and very high potential for making future advances,” said ProfessorRyan Hayward, chair of the department.
Kōnane Bay, self-healing, innovative materials
Bay says the next generation of polymer materials—materials with long chains of molecules like plastics, rubber and proteins—will need advanced features, such as the ability to repair themselves. While engineering synthetic polymers with these properties is challenging, biofilm-forming bacteria are promising as they use internal material factories to produce polymers on demand to survive changes in the surroundings.
“I am grateful to receive this award which will allow our lab to harness nature to create novel engineered living materials,” Bay said.
The award will support Bay and her team at theHuli Materials Lab in using biofilm-forming bacteria to develop new polymeric materials.The project combines 3D printing with bacteria’s natural movement to control the mechanical properties of biofilm-based synthetic polymers. The findings could lead to self-healing materials that can change shape, with applications in aerospace, soft robotics, and protective coatings.
Bay recently also received a prestigiousCAREER Award, a $675,000, five-year grant from the. The funding will advance her work in characterization of polymer thin film.
Ankur Gupta, more precise chemical sensors
Imagine being able to organize tiny particles as small as one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair.
Gupta’s research aims to do just that. He and his team in theLaboratory of Interfaces, Flow and Electrokinetics (LIFE) study how these tiny particles form patterns through chemical reactions and diffusion. The researchers aim to control this process to develop materials that detect microscopic changes in the air, paving the way for advanced chemical sensors that identify subtle chemical shifts and improve safety.
“It’s an honor for us to receive this award, especially given its prestige and selectivity,” Gupta said. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of my current and past group members, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them.”
The$450,000 three-year grant will support a graduate student and cover travel expenses.
In 2024, Gupta was honored with theJohannes Lyklema Early Career Award in electrokinetics. He was also selected for the prestigious “35 Under 35” award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 2023.
That same year Gupta also received a $517,000, five-year National Science Foundation Award, to studyhow ions move through porous materials. His research will help design improved porous materials for more efficient desalination and renewable energy storage.