A research institute to be led by Materials Department Head and Professor Michele Marcolongo titled Biologically-Inspired and Resource-Conserving Advanced Materials (BRAVE) is one of the first recipients of funding through the new initiative Drexel Areas of Research Excellence (DARE).
The DARE initiative is focused on building distinctive interdisciplinary signatures across the university, creating innovative, unique, and strategic collaborations at the intersections of existing areas of strength that will lead to truly transformative outcomes. The DARE initiative provides resources such that four or five small groups of faculty and students can each spend a year in deep thought about an interdisciplinary research focus that spans at least three of Drexel’s schools and colleges.
BRAVE will form a research institute involving 30 faculty from 6 Drexel colleges and schools to stake out a national leadership role in the synthesis and processing of new materials. Along with primary investigator Marcolongo, research leadership will be provided by Drexel Materials Professor Chris Li, Associate Professor Steve May, and Hoeganaes Associate Professor Mitra Taheri, along with Associate Professor Goran Karapetrov from the Physics Department and Assistant Professor Lin Han from the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems.
Deriving inspiration from biological materials and physical phenomena, BRAVE will drive new frontiers in materials design and processing innovation, enabling novel solutions for addressing challenging societal problems related to energy and water consumption. BRAVE is perfectly poised to unite cross-college/school collaborations among outstanding materials and processing researchers at Drexel to create a sustainable research-driven institute with center activities that will adapt to changing innovation and societal needs.