News
LSU Research Bites: Acoustic Vibrations Solve a Long-Standing Challenge in Nanoparticle Assembly
For decades, scientists have been trying to overcome a very specific challenge: arrange nanoparticles smaller than the eye can see into a perfectly ordered “sheet” of particles — one particle thick — over a large surface area.
Leading Worldwide, Rooted in Louisiana: How LSU Helped Shape BASF President Christian Aucoin’s Leadership Style
Raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Christian Aucoin has always carried Louisiana in his heart. Today, as president of Global Engineering at BASF, he leads teams around the world, shaping innovative chemical processes and building new plants—all while maintaining a deep connection to his home state.
LSU Professor Aims to Transform Plastic Waste and Natural Gas into Valuable Materials
An LSU chemical engineering professor has received a major federal grant to develop technology that could help solve two pressing problems at once: mountains of plastic waste and underutilized natural gas.
Two LSU Engineering Students Receive Clayton Assistantship Awards
LSU Biological Engineering PhD student Hobbs McAllister and LSU Chemical Engineering PhD student Gabriela Theis Marchan were chosen to receive the 2025-26 Donald W. Clayton Assistantship Awards for their success in and out of the classroom.
‘Win-Win’ for Students, LSU and the Future of Louisiana’s Coast and Energy Industry
A collaborative team of researchers in the Cain Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at LSU has won a first-of-its-kind grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to bring 10 of the country’s most brilliant research students to LSU to pursue a Ph.D. and emerge as leaders in energy and environmental science.
Astronaut Scholars Reflect on Mentorship, Research, and Opportunities at LSU That Helped Them Succeed
Two LSU students recently named to the 2025 class of Astronaut Scholars say this lofty achievement would not have been possible without the support and opportunities provided by LSU.
LSU ChE Professor Receives AAAS Fellows Award
LSU Cain Department of Chemical Engineering Professor Krishnaswamy Nandakumar recently received the American Association for The Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows Award. AAAS Fellows are recognized for their extraordinary achievements across disciplines including research, teaching, technology, services to professional societies, administration in academia, industry and government, and communicating and interpreting science to the public.
Forest’s Paper on Process Safety Still the Best 10 Years Later
In 2015, LSU Chemical Engineering Adjunct Lecturer Jerry Forest’s paper on conduct of operations, “Walk the Line,” was published in peer-reviewed journal Process Safety Progress. That same year, it won Best Paper at the Process Plant Safety Symposium (PPSS) of the Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS). Both of these honors came on the heels of “Walk the Line” winning the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Initiative of the Year honor in 2014.
Energy, Cyber Win: Idaho National Lab Solidifies Research Partnership with LSU
LSU and Battelle Energy Alliance, the company that manages Idaho National Laboratory (INL), have agreed to collaborate in areas of mutual interest, including cybersecurity and advanced nuclear technology, under a memorandum of understanding, or MOU. The MOU to be signed on Friday, March 28 aims to accelerate technology and talent development in Louisiana for the nation. This is the first formal partnership between a national lab and a university in Louisiana.
LSU Researchers Create Low-Cost Method to Recycle Plastic
LSU researchers have created a new, low-cost way to break down plastic, a potential breakthrough that could save billions of dollars and eliminate billions of tons of plastic pollution.