News from

Faculty

Reset All Filters
1050 Results
What stiffening lung tissue reveals about the earliest stages of fibrosis
Donia Ahmed prepares tissue for imaging.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering Today

What stiffening lung tissue reveals about the earliest stages of fibrosis

A Penn Engineering team has targeted the lung’s extracellular matrix to better understand early fibrosis by triggering the formation of special chemical bonds that increase tissue stiffness in specific locations, mimicking the first physical changes that may lead to lung fibrosis.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

A generative AI model that designs new antibiotics
Pranam Chatterjee in his lab at Penn Engineering.

The lab of Pranam Chatterjee (pictured), in collaboration with the lab of César de la Fuente, developed and validated a new “diffusion model” that can generate antibiotic candidates the same way AI creates images.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

A generative AI model that designs new antibiotics

A research team at Penn Engineering has developed and validated a new ‘diffusion model’ that can generate antibiotic candidates the same way AI creates images.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Penn Engineers send quantum signals with standard internet protocol
Yichi Zhang wearing sunglasses in the Penn Engineering lab.

Yichi Zhang, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering, inspects the source of the quantum signal.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Penn Engineers send quantum signals with standard internet protocol

Penn engineers have developed a “Q-Chip” (quantum-classical hybrid internet by photonics) signal which coordinates quantum and classical data and can run on the same infrastructure that carries everyday online traffic.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech
Two people work on coding at computer.

Image: Kindamorphic via Getty Images

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

Neil Fasching and Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication have found dramatic differences in how large language models classify hate speech, with especially large variations for language about certain demographic groups, raising concerns about bias and disproportionate harm.

2 min. read

Reframing the e-commerce antitrust debate

Reframing the e-commerce antitrust debate

A recent paper by Wharton’s Herbert Hovenkamp brings perspective to a new court ruling that allows Google to retain its Chrome browser.

Joseph Francisco awarded 2025 Pauling Medal

Joseph Francisco awarded 2025 Pauling Medal

Joseph Francisco, President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, is awarded the Pauling Medal in honor of his work into the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere by the American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section.

From the frontlines of climate change
Mangroves growing on a small island separated from the mainland due to abrasion in West Java.

Image: Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto via AP Images

From the frontlines of climate change

People living on small islands and territories face mounting climate impacts, but little is known about their stance on the issue. Research from a team including Parrish Bergquist, assistant professor of political science, aims to fill those gaps.

From Omnia

2 min. read

A new way to guide light
Researchers stand and point at a white board littered with equations.

Bo Zhen (right) and postdoctoral researcher Li He developed a system for guiding light through tiny crystals in ways that allow it to navigate undeterred bu bumps and defects. Their work could lead to sturdier lasers, faster data links, and light-based chips that don’t get tripped up by imperfections.

nocred

A new way to guide light

Penn researchers developed a system that allows light to be guided through a tiny crystal, undeterred by bumps, bends, and back-reflections. Their findings pave the way for robust, controllable light-based chips, smarter routing for data links, and more stable lasers.

3 min. read

Understanding atomic disorder and next-gen electronics
Imaging devices surround a material on a blue backlit surface.

A new class of 2D materials known as MXenes holds the key to next-generation applications, such as consumer electronics and medical devices. Now, collaborative research led by Zahra Fakhraai of the School of Arts & Sciences, Aleksandra Vojvodic of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and their collaborators offers fundamental insights into the chemical and geometric mechanisms underlying the synthesis of these materials, a finding that could lead to cleaner, quicker energy conversion and storage for these devices. 

nocred

Understanding atomic disorder and next-gen electronics

A Penn team has developed insight into the chemical and geometric mechanisms underlying the synthesis of new 2D materials, paving the way for next-gen devices, biomedical applications, and cleaner, quicker energy conversion and storage.

5 min. read