Research labs at Rutgers University–New Brunswick .

Debashish Bhattacharya Research Group

Algal evolutionEndosymbiosisMarine genomics

Debashish Bhattacharya · Distinguished Professor

How did algae acquire their photosynthetic machinery, and how do marine organisms adapt to demanding environments? Bhattacharya studies these questions through genomics, bioinformatics, and evolutionary biology. His research examines endosymbiosis and the integration of plastids into host cells. Other projects investigate salt tolerance in Picochlorum algae and use single cell genomics to examine marine organisms that are difficult to culture. Coral research addresses genome evolution, mineralization, and symbiosis, connecting molecular changes to the biology of reef organisms and their responses to environmental stress.

DMIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Dimitris Metaxas Research Group

Computer visionMedical image analysisGenerative AI

Dimitris Metaxas · Board of Governors Professor

Metaxas investigates how artificial intelligence can combine learned patterns with knowledge about the world. His research connects machine learning with physical principles, dynamical systems, and other domain knowledge. Projects span computer vision, biomedical image analysis, and computer graphics, alongside image and text generation using generative models. Additional interests include language and vision language models, explainable AI, and learning with limited supervision. These directions connect the mathematical design of intelligent systems with applications where understanding images and interpreting complex data are central research challenges.

MDIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Monica Driscoll Research Group

Aging biologyC. elegansNeurodegeneration

Monica Driscoll · Distinguished Professor

What allows an organism to stay healthy as it ages? Driscoll’s laboratory uses the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate mechanisms that maintain health and protect neurons. Research examines strategies involving genetics, chemicals, and exercise that might extend the period of healthy function. The group combines genetics, cell biology, genetic engineering, and imaging to study aging across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales. Its interests include neuronal protein maintenance and resistance to neurodegeneration, using an experimentally accessible animal to explore how biological systems manage age related decline.

VNIndependently curated · Unclaimed

Nanda Lab

Computational protein designCollagenBiomaterials

Vikas Nanda · Professor

Can proteins be designed to perform functions that natural evolution has not supplied? The Nanda Lab develops computational tools for protein design, structure prediction, and molecular docking. Its projects include designing collagen based extracellular matrices, studying how nonnatural amino acids affect peptide stability, and investigating the relationship between protein digestion and food allergy. Designed matrices are characterized experimentally to examine how their chemical and spatial organization influences cells. The work links structural biology and molecular evolution to biomaterials and possible biomedical applications.

KBIndependently curated · Unclaimed

PRACSYS Lab

Robot motion planningManipulationSoft robotics

Kostas Bekris · Professor, Department Chair

Robots must connect what they perceive with actions they can actually execute. Bekris’s PRACSYS Lab develops planning methods that bring perception, learning, and motion together. Research includes manipulating objects in clutter, coordinating multiple robotic arms, and addressing the dynamics of compliant or underactuated robots. Soft hands and tensegrity systems provide examples where physical behavior complicates control. The group investigates both practical performance and the conditions under which algorithms have useful properties, with applications spanning logistics, manufacturing, and service robotics.