October 28, 2024 | Combined Reports - UConn Communications

Burke Appointed Head of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department

Burke serves as an undergraduate and graduate instructor and covers a range of subjects, including heat and mass transfer, polymer properties, fluid mechanics, and biopolymers.

3D representation of molecular structure

Burke's research focuses on the applications of materials, including advancements in drug delivery systems, scaffolding materials for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cellular agriculture, and materials for sustainable energy and separations technologies.

At the start of the Fall 2024 semester, UConn alumna and associate professor Dr. Kelly Burke was appointed as the new head of the College of Engineering’s Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department, following a decade of impactful teaching and research.

Since joining UConn in 2014, Burke established herself as a leading expert in the synthesis and structure of polymers and biomaterials. Her research focuses on the practical applications of anisotropic and naturally sourced materials, including advancements in drug delivery systems, scaffolding materials for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cellular agriculture, and materials for sustainable energy and separations technologies. In her teaching role, Burke serves as an undergraduate and graduate instructor and covers a range of subjects, including heat and mass transfer, polymer properties, fluid mechanics, and biopolymers, while also advising senior capstone projects and independent study courses.

“I am honored to lead the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department and look forward to collaborating with our innovative and talented faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners,” Burke says. “Together, we can explore new frontiers in research and education, making meaningful contributions to many fields. Additionally, being the first female department head for the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department in the history of the College of Engineering is a tremendous honor, and I see it as my responsibility to foster the growth of all underrepresented leaders in the years to come.”

Burke’s contributions to her field have garnered numerous accolades, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2020, the National Institutes of Health Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award in 2022, and a Young Investigator Award from the American Chemical Society. At UConn, she has received several honors, including the Polymer Program Director’s Award and two Research Excellence Program awards. Her scholarship has also led to her appointment as an Associate Editor for the journal Polymer Reviews. As a trainee, she was recognized as a University of Connecticut Honors Scholar, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow. She is a member of Omega Chi Epsilon and Tau Beta Pi and has served as the Tau Beta Pi advisor for the College of Engineering since 2017.

“I offer the warmest congratulations to Dr. Burke on her appointment as the new Department Head for the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department,” said UConn Engineering Dean JC Zhao. “She has excelled both as a researcher and teacher, and will continue to advance the mission of the UConn College of Engineering.”