Biotechnology and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Riverside engineers biological systems to address critical challenges in health, energy, manufacturing, and environmental sustainability. This interdisciplinary research area combines molecular biology, chemical engineering, and computational modeling to develop innovative technologies for a better future.

Core Areas of Engineering:

• Nanobiotechnology – Designing and fabricating nanoscale materials and devices for biomedical applications, biosensing, and targeted drug delivery.
• Environmental Biotechnology – Harnessing biological processes to improve water quality, predict the environmental fate of pollutants, and develop cost-effective and sustainable remediation and treatment technologies. 
• Metabolic Engineering – Engineering enzymes, metabolic pathways, and metabolic networks to produce renewable fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals efficiently and sustainably.
• Interfacial Biophysics – Investigating membrane mechanics, lipid–protein interactions, and phase behavior to understand disease processes including multiple sclerosis, pulmonary surfactant dysfunction, and neurodegeneration.
• Sustainable Food and Agricultural Systems – Engineering nanopesticide delivery systems, essential oil nanoencapsulation, and food-contact coatings to enhance food safety and reduce environmental impact.
• Bioadhesives – Developing biologically inspired adhesive materials for medical, industrial, and environmental applications, offering sustainable alternatives to synthetic adhesives.
• Viral Assembly – Investigating the mechanisms of viral assembly and leveraging this knowledge to design novel therapeutic strategies, vaccines, and nanostructured delivery systems.

Meet Our Faculty