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University research directory
Research labs at
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh 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 · UnclaimedAnna C. Balazs Research Group
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusAnna C. Balazs · Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering
How can coupled chemistry, fluid flow, and mechanics be programmed to create soft materials with lifelike functions? The group uses computer simulations and theory to model complex chemical systems, polymer blends, and responsive gels that exhibit self-organization, pattern formation, and autonomous motion. Projects include designing chemo-responsive gels, chemically driven flexible sheets and micropump systems, and light- or enzyme-powered microfluidic flows to direct particle assembly. Methods integrate dissipative-particle dynamics, continuum fluid modeling, and mechanochemical coupling to predict dynamics and guide experimental realizations. The research targets programmable soft-matter systems for actuation, transport, and adaptive materials design.
Independently curated · UnclaimedEvan Ramos Research Group
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusEvan Ramos · Assistant Professor
How do fluid–rock interactions control nutrient cycling and carbon burial at Earth’s surface? The Earth Surface Geochemistry group studies life–water–rock interactions that regulate global climate and element cycles today and through Earth history. The group measures elemental and isotopic compositions of organic matter, water, soil, and sediment as tracers of Earth-surface processes and compares those data with numerical-model predictions. Current projects focus on organo-mineral interactions linking clay formation to organic carbon burial, watershed responses to past climate events, and floodplain redox and hydrology. The team applies interdisciplinary laboratory geochemistry, field sampling, and numerical modeling to identify processes that regulate element cycles.
Independently curated · UnclaimedJacob D. Durrant Research Group
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusJacob D. Durrant · Associate Professor
Can computer-aided methods reliably identify small molecules that bind and modulate disease-relevant proteins in silico? The Durrant lab develops broadly applicable computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques to identify small-molecule ligands that bind protein grooves and pockets. The group integrates computer docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and big-data/machine-learning to improve ligand-identification workflows and prioritize compounds for experimental testing. Petascale, GPU, and cloud computing are used to scale simulations and accelerate virtual screening across many targets. The lab also builds molecular-visualization tools, including ProteinVR, to explore protein structures and communicate virtual-experiment results.
Natasa Miskov-Zivanov Research Group
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusNatasa Miskov-Zivanov · Associate Professor
How can automated knowledge extraction produce executable mechanistic models that explain cellular behavior? The MeLoDy Lab develops computational methods and an explainable-AI tool ecosystem (BOHEME) to convert literature-derived knowledge into executable biological models. The group builds modular workflows that extract biological interactions, verify evidence across databases, reconcile heterogeneous graphs, and assemble mechanistic models for simulation and hypothesis generation. Projects include ACCORDION, CLARINET, FLUTE, and BioRECIPE for context-aware knowledge selection, reliable model recommendation, and knowledge representation. Research combines knowledge engineering, graph algorithms, mechanistic modeling, and machine learning to scale model building alongside expanding biomedical literature.
Independently curated · UnclaimedPeter Wipf Research Group
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusPeter Wipf · Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry
Can novel synthetic and medicinal-chemistry methods yield small molecules that modulate challenging biological targets? The Wipf Group pursues total synthesis, strain-release and heterocyclic chemistry to access diverse scaffolds for biological testing. Medicinal-chemistry and structure–activity studies optimize small molecules as inhibitors or modulators of protein targets, including p97/VCP and PTP4A3, with the goal of generating probes and therapeutic leads. Collaborative translational projects apply these compounds in cancer, neurodegeneration, and radiation-mitigation studies.
Showing 1–5 of 5 labs