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University research directory
Research labs at
Penn State (Main campus).
Compare 5 listed faculty-led profiles, explore their research interests, and follow the evidence in their selected work. These listings are a starting point for discovery and do not establish recruiting availability.
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Review each lab’s official website and recent publications. Compare the methods used, the questions being asked, and the practical requirements of any published opening. Unclaimed profiles are independently curated; the university has not approved or endorsed them.
How to compare research labs ↗Official university website ↗5 research-led lab profiles
Browse labs by their listed college affiliation
Independently curated · UnclaimedChristopher A. Gorski Research Group
Penn State (Main campus)
Christopher A. Gorski · Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
How do mineral redox reactions control contaminant fate and enable electrochemical energy processes? Research utilizes advanced spectroscopic and electrochemical approaches to understand mechanisms and thermodynamics of environmental redox processes. Projects include mineral formation and transformation studies that affect pollutant fate and inform energy storage and recovery technologies. Methods employ in-situ spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, and modeling to develop quantitative predictive models and risk-assessment tools. Current projects listed address electrochemical CO2 capture, thermally regenerative batteries, and ion-selective intercalation electrodes.
G. Gary Tan Research Group
Penn State (Main campus)G. Gary Tan · Distinguished Professor
What software vulnerabilities can compiler and formal-method techniques detect and mitigate in large codebases? The Security of Software (SOS) Group applies compiler, programming language, and formal method techniques to improving software security. The group pursues projects in software security, programming languages, and program verification with an emphasis on automated analysis frameworks. Researchers develop formal-methods-based analyses and compiler transformations to identify and harden vulnerable code paths. Ongoing work includes tool development and evaluation using benchmarks and security-relevant codebases.
Independently curated · UnclaimedHuanyu Cheng Research Group
Penn State (Main campus)Huanyu Cheng · Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics
How can standalone stretchable device platforms be designed and fabricated for wearable and transient applications? The research group focuses on design, fabrication, and application of standalone stretchable device platforms. Projects include development of stretchable sensors, transient electronics, and graphene-based membranes for sensing and energy applications. Methods combine laser-induced graphene, thin-film processing, and materials-by-design strategies to achieve stretchability, bioresorbability, and wireless integration. Work tests devices in physiological sensing and environmental-energy contexts to validate performance and functionality.
Independently curated · UnclaimedMichael J. Axtell Research Group
Penn State (Main campus)Michael J. Axtell · Professor of Biology; Louis and Hedwig Sternberg Chair in Plant Biology
How do plant microRNAs and siRNAs control gene regulation and evolution of plant development? The lab discovers and characterizes plant microRNAs and siRNAs and studies their functions in plant developmental evolution. Projects combine genomics and bioinformatics to identify small RNAs and their targets across plant species. Researchers use genetic, biochemical, and molecular biology approaches to characterize microRNA biogenesis, processing, and target interactions. Current efforts include trans-species RNA mobility studies and assembly and annotation of parasitic plant genomes.
Independently curated · UnclaimedTanya Furman Research Group
Penn State (Main campus)Tanya Furman · Research Professor
How does large-scale mass transfer occur between deep and shallow regions of the mantle during rifting and plume-related events? Research in East Africa, Turkey and Saudi Arabia explores geochemical consequences of lithospheric delamination associated with slab rollback and breakoff. Research throughout the East African Rift System evaluates continental break-up and initiation of oceanic rift segmentation using structural and geochemical evidence. The group combines field work, geochemical analysis and microanalysis of mineral textures and compositions to determine thermal, chemical and physical properties of eruptive systems. Ongoing projects include deciphering lithospheric metasomatic history beneath the African Western Rift and the origin of large basalt flows in Iceland.
Showing 1–5 of 5 labs