Research at the College
Research Centers
Our research centers bring together faculty, students and industry partners to drive innovation and solve complex, real-world challenges. From advanced manufacturing and precision metrology to energy systems, mobility and emerging technologies, these centers showcase the depth and impact of research across the College of Engineering. Explore our featured centers below and discover the full network of centers and institutes shaping the future of engineering.
Current NSF CAREER Award Winners and Projects
Patents and Trademarks
W.S. Lee College of Engineering recognizes innovation by presenting plaques to new U.S. Patent and Trademark awardees, commemorating their achievement.
2025
Patents:
Inventor: James E. Amburgey
Title: “Separation Media, Devices and Applications Thereof “
U.S. Patent: 12,128,394
Inventor: Babak Parkhideh
Title: “Systems and Methods to Detect and Measure the Current Mismatch Among Parallel Semiconductor Devices”
U.S. Patent: 11,982,693
Inventor: Sukumar Kamalasadan
Title: Grid Ancillary Service with Uninterruptible Power Supply
U.S. Patent: 11,984,759
Inventor: Hamed Tabkhi and Omid Shoghli
Title: “Worker-In-The-Loop Real Time Safety System for Short-Duration Highway Workzones”
U.S. Patent: 11,961,392
Trademark:
Rob Cox, Polevolt (TM)
Registration#: 7316875
2024
Inventor: Gloria Elliott
Title: “Methods and Compositions for Biopreservation”
U.S. Patent: 11,849,722
Inventor: Babak Parkhideh
Title: “Systems and Methods to Measure Changing Electric Current:
U.S. Patent: 11,824,344
Inventor: Yong Zhang
“Hexacoordinate Pincer Complexes and Applications”
Japan Patent: 7,317,380
2023
Inventor: James Amburgey
Title: “Nanomaterials, devices, and methods of water treatment”
U.S. Patent: 11,542,181
2022
Inventor: Dr. Olya Keen
“Devices, Systems, and Methods for Heterogeneous Catalytic Quenching of Hydrogen Peroxide In A Water Source”
U.S. Patent Number: 11,124,439
Inventors: Dr. Olya Keen, Dr. Mei Sun and Dr. James Amburgey
“Systems and Methods for Bromide Separation and Reuse”
U.S. Patent Number: 11,040,896
Inventor: Dr. James Amburgey
“System and Method For Testing Firearm Operating Characteristics”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,704,855
Inventor: Dr. Shen-En Chen
“Carbon Storage Using Ash, Seawater, and Alkali Activator As A Non-Cement-Based Building Materials”
Patent Number: 11,174,201
Inventors: Dr. Madhav Manjrekar and Dr. Ehab Shoubaki
“Diode-Clamped Solid-State Circuit Breaker without Dynamic Voltage Balancing Issues”
U.S. Patent Number: 11,218,148
Inventors: Dr. Madhav Manjrekar, Dr. Somasundaram Essakiappan and Dr. Ehab Shoubaki
“Apparatuses Including Power Electronics Circuitry and Related Methods of Operation”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,727,669/10,965,124
Inventor: Dr. Ahmed El-Ghannam
“Processing and Bioactivation of a Novel SiC Medical Device”
U.S. Patent Number: 11,285,242
Inventor: Dr. Ahmed El-Ghannam
“Composite Carbide Compositions and Methods of Making the Same”
U.S. Patent Number: 11,292,749
Inventor: Dr. Qiuming Wei
“Heterogeneously Stacked Multi Layered Metallic Structures With Adiabatic Shear Localization Under Uniaxial Dynamic Compression”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,718,597
Inventor: Dr. Babak Parkhideh
“Wideband Contactless Magnetoresistive-Rogowski Current Sensing”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,782,323
Inventors: Dr. Babak Parkhideh and Dr. Robert Cox
“Systems and Methods for Advanced Grid Integration of Distributed Generators and Energy Resources”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,965,128
Inventor: Dr. Yong Zhang
“Light-Effect Transistor (LET)”
U.S. Patent Number: 10,784,650
Million Dollar Circle
The Million Dollar Circle recognizes researchers from across UNC Charlotte who lead initiatives with $1 million or more. Nearly one quarter of UNC Charlotte’s recognized researchers are PIs from the William States Lee College of Engineering.
Pls
Civil and Environmental Engineering
- John Daniels (2024)
- Wei Fan (2024)
- Olya Keen (2024)
- Brett Tempest (2024, 2025)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Farah Deeba (2024, 2025)
- Fareena Saqib (2024)
- Hamed Tabkhi (2024, 2025)
Energy Production and Infrastructure Center
- Badrul Chowdhury (2024)
- Robert Cox (2024, 2025)
- Saffeer Khan (2025)
Engineering Technology and Construction Management
- Aidan Browne (2024, 2025)
- Tara Cavalline (2024)
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
- Youxing Chen (2025)
- Ed Morse (2024, 2025)
- Brigid Mullany (2024)
- Steven Schmid (2024, 2025)
- Terry Xu (2025)
- Qiang Zhu (2025)
Co-PIs
Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Milind Khire (2025)
- David Weggel (2024)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Badrul Chowdhury (2025)
- Valentina Cecchi (2024)
- Arun Ravindran (2024, 2025)
- Ehab Shoubaki (2025)
Energy Production and Infrastructure Center
- Lori Brown (2025)
- Benjamin Futrell (2024, 2025)
- Sukumar Kamalasadan (2024)
- Timothy Kernicky (2025)
- Saffeer Khan (2024)
- Robin Moose (2025)
Engineering Technology and Construction Management
- Michael Smith (2024, 2025)
- Weimin Wang (2024, 2025)
- Wesley Williams (2024, 2025)
Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Tao Hong (2025)
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science
- Jim Fox (2025)
- Jimmie Miller (2024, 2025)
- Brigid Mullany (2025)
- Tyler Stover (2025)
- Mesbah Uddin (2025)
W.S. Lee College of Engineering
- Cathy Blat (2025)
- Stephanie Galloway (2024, 2025)
- Sherman Mumford (2025)
Contact Dean Mullany
Professor of mechanical engineering, Brigid Mullany serves as the associate dean for research in the engineering college. In this role, Mullany is the dean’s senior research officer and works to advance the college mission by supporting the college’s research initiatives (faculty, graduate and undergraduate) and the strategic pursuit of external funding.