Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
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The following positions are available within the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University to all current ChBE undergraduate students. Subject to ChBE Chair approval.

Lehigh University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national or ethnic origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. 

Fall 2026

Undergraduate Office Assistant

General duties include but are not limited to creating and editing marketing materials, photography, videography, social media outreach, event preparations, special projects for department events and other duties as assigned. Social media skills preferred and creativity to drive new ideas . ~5-6 hours per week. Student(s) will work directly with Department Coordinator. 

To inquire: contact Jamie Lenhart
Undergraduate Researcher: Baltrusaitis Lab
Research assistant to perform electrochemical experiments for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction
 
Responsibilities will include:
 
Designing and conducting experiments,
Analyzing data
Presenting results
Data collection/entry: Collecting and organizing data for analysis
Data analysis: Cleaning, reformatting, and analyzing data
Misc: Assist with other tasks associated with the day-to-day operations of the lab, as required.
 
Requirements/skills:
 
Dependability: Consistently reports for scheduled shifts and meets deadlines.
Independent Work: Demonstrates initiative and can manage assigned tasks with minimal supervision.
Organizational Skills: Maintains a well-organized workspace and prioritizes effectively to handle diverse tasks efficiently
Effective Communication: Clearly communicates information, both verbally and in writing, to collaborate effectively with team members.
 
The candidate should be pursuing an undergraduate degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
 
To inquire: contact Professor Baltrusaitis
Undergraduate Researcher: Blocher McTigue Lab
The Blocher McTigue lab is looking for an undergraduate researcher to investigate the use of polyelectrolyte complexes in biomedical applications. The research will center around the formation of polymer complexes using oppositely charged polymers in aqueous solution. The student will then investigate the ability for these complexes to phase change with appropriate stimuli. Specifically, to research our ability to transition these polymer systems between liquid-liquid and solid-liquid phase separated systems using different techniques such as airbrushing.
 
Researcher Responsibilities:
Attend regular research meetings
Designing and conducting experiments
Collecting, analyzing, and presenting data
Standard upkeep of the lab as needed
Read academic literature
 
Requirements:
Time management
Ability to work independently
Organization
Communication skills, both oral and written
Candidate should be pursuing an undergraduate degree in the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering
 
To inquire: contact Professor Blocher McTigue
Undergraduate Researcher: Brown Lab
The Brown Lab is looking for undergraduate researchers interested in developing new approaches to treat bacterial infections. Students will gain experience in cell culture, nanoparticle synthesis and characterization, and protein purification.  
 
Responsibilities:
Design and conduct experiments
Analyze data and present results
 
Requirements/skills:
Intellectual curiosity
Dependability/time management
Effective communication
 
To inquire: contact Professor Brown
Undergraduate Researcher: Gartner Lab

1-2 undergraduate research positions are available in the Gartner group. Potential research topics include computational modeling of polymers in the areas of stimuli-responsive polymeric rheology modifiers, polymer sustainability and degradation, mixed ion-electron conducting polymers, and others. The student researcher will be responsible for managing and driving forward their independent research, reading the scientific literature, and summarizing the results of their research in written reports and oral presentations. The student will gain proficiency in polymer physics, molecular modeling approaches, Python, high-performance computing, and data analysis. Continuation into future semesters is possible depending on mutual interest. 

To inquire: contact Professor Gartner

Undergraduate Researcher: Kothare Lab
Motivated by the challenge of achieving rapid learning in physical environments, this project aims to develop a real-time reinforcement learning (RL)-based control system for guiding a liquid droplet through a physically constrained labyrinth using board tilt actuation. Instead of relying on pre-programmed paths or classical feedback controllers, the system learns a control policy directly from sensory feedback and interaction with the physical environment. The objective is to demonstrate autonomous, adaptive navigation in a nonlinear, noisy, and coupled electro-mechanical-fluidic system, where motion emerges from learned decision-making under physical constraints. This project sits at the intersection of embedded motor control, sensing and signal processing, real-time robotics software, and learning-based control of nonlinear fluidic environment. The experimental setup includes camera-based state estimation, ROS2-based asynchronous communication, motor actuation, and on-policy reinforcement learning running directly in the control loop. As this project integrates hardware, perception, control, and learning in the loop, it significantly increases engineering complexity and system-level thinking requirements.
 
To inquire contact: Professor Kothare
Undergraduate Researcher: Reichmanis Lab
Position 1: Large-area colloidal quantum-dot devices – WS-4: Quantum dot-based light emitting diodes (QLEDs) are attractive candidates for next-generation displays due to their high efficiency, brightness, wide color gamut, and solution processability. All-solution-processed QLEDs will be fabricated utilizing blade-coating to create the QD emissive layer, and investigate the relationship between processing parameters, thin film structure, and device performance to gain new insights. Characterization methods will include use of optical and electron microscopy, UV-vis, FT-IR and routine electrochemical
techniques. Students should have completed General Chemistry (lecture and lab) and be familiar with standard chemical and materials characterization techniques and handling of chemical substances.
 
Position 2: Composite electrodes for energy storage – WS-4: Organic/inorganic hybrid electrodes for high-capacity Li-ion batteries will be fabricated and characterized using electrochemical and spectroscopic tools. Experimental research may encompass use of polymers that may undergo non-bonding crosslinking and exploration of materials chemistries that allow for the fabrication of resilient interfaces in a cost-
effective and scalable approach. The polymers will be blended with active energy storage nanomaterials and various carbon nanomaterials. Characterization methods will include use of optical and electron microscopy, UV-vis, FT-IR and routine electrochemical techniques. Students should have completed General Chemistry (lecture and lab) and be familiar with standard chemical and materials characterization techniques and handling of chemical substances.
 
Position 3: Polymer thin-film research – WS-4: Semiconducting polymers that interact with ions and electrons of varying compositions will be fabricated via blade coating and spin coating to explore the impact of solution processing on thin polymer film characteristics and ionic and electronic charge transport. Characterization methods will include optical microscopy evaluation, UV-vis and FT-IR spectroscopic studies. Polymer films will also be fabricated on transistor device substrates to explore impact of blends/processing on macroscopic device performance. Students should have completed General Chemistry (lecture and lab) and be familiar with standard chemical and materials characterization techniques and handling of chemicals.

To inquire: contact Professor Reichmanis