Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) spent a record $71.6 million on research and development activities during the 2024 academic year, up 8% over the previous year, as expenditures grew on projects funded by federal agencies and nonprofit organizations. University researchers also launched 234 multiyear projects in 2024 and received a record $60 million in public and private awards for research activities.  “WPI’s extraordinary faculty, staff, and students are conducting research that tackles some of the world’s most pressing problems, and the awards they have received from government, corporate, and private funders are a testament to their innovative thinking,” said Bogdan Vernescu, WPI vice president and vice provost for research and innovation. WPI’s research growth follows a decade of investment and work by students, faculty, and staff. The university was recently designated an R1 institution, the top tier of American research colleges and universities, based on its 2023 research spending and doctorate degrees.  Newer data shows that WPI’s expansion of research and development continued in 2024. Information on research expenditures was recently submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF), and WPI published award data in late 2024. About 83% of all research dollars awarded to WPI during 2024 were provided by the federal government. The Department of Defense sponsored more than $15 million in awards to WPI, followed by the NSF with nearly $14 million in awards, and the Department of Health and Human Services with more than $9 million in awards. Other large federal funders included the Department of Energy and the Department of Education, each with more than $2 million in awards to WPI researchers.  State and local governments sponsored about 10% of the research funds awarded to WPI, and the remaining awards were sponsored by corporate, foundation, and other sponsors.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute researchers believe a new robotic technology they’re developing can help save lives by improving the process of matching kidney donors with people awaiting a transplant. Their approach seeks to advance medical evaluations that determine whether a donated kidney is viable to be transplanted.  According to the National Kidney Foundation, 90,000 people in the United States are on a kidney waitlist; each day, 12 die before a transplant can happen. While a shortage of donors is one reason for the long waitlist, another major factor is the number of donated kidneys that get discarded. Assessing a kidney for transplant involves examining the organ after it’s been removed from the donor to ensure the kidney is free of disease or structural anomalies.  Current methods for this assessment include either a biopsy, which involves a review of cells taken from a small sample of the kidney, or optical coherence tomography (OCT), a light-based handheld imaging technology that can provide a high-resolution snapshot of a limited section of the organ. Xihan Ma, robotics engineering PhD student, and Haichong (Kai) Zhang, associate professor of robotics engineering and biomedical engineering The assessment process risks wasting the organ because these exams take time and provide information about only a small portion of the kidney; both factors may hamper clinicians’ ability to accurately assess the organ and approve it for transplant while it is still viable.  Haichong (Kai) Zhang, associate professor of robotics engineering and biomedical engineering, and Xihan Ma, a robotics engineering PhD student, are using innovations in medical robotics to address this problem.  “With our robotic system, we can capture a scan of the whole kidney,” said Zhang. “With current approaches, the area of the kidney that can be assessed is inherently limited by either the size of the biopsy needle or the size of the OCT imaging probe, and thus the assessment of the organ is biased by which small part of the kidney the operator chooses to focus on.” Zhang and Ma have developed a robotic OCT system, which is a fully automated method of imaging an entire donated kidney to help a clinician make an assessment. The system was developed at WPI’s Medical FUSION (Frontier Ultrasound Imaging and Robotic Instrumentation) Lab. “Our motivation is to think about how we can streamline the process used to evaluate the viability of donated kidneys to be more reliable and accurate, and to not waste kidneys that potentially can be used to save lives of patients,” said Zhang. “We are integrating the strengths of medical robots to make imaging of donor kidneys more accessible and less user-dependent and to acquire images over a wider area of the organ, which can provide more concise and direct feedback to clinicians so they can make better clinical decisions.”

Following an internal search for the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, WPI has officially named Arne Gericke to the role he has held ad interim since July 1, 2022. At WPI, the dean of undergraduate studies leads efforts to ensure—and improve the quality and effectiveness of—all dimensions of the university’s undergraduate programs and the student academic experience, including courses, projects, academic advising, and undergraduate research. The dean of undergraduate studies also works to communicate the values of the WPI undergraduate program to both internal and external audiences. “Arne avidly champions undergraduate students and emphasizes the crucial role of faculty in both supporting and challenging them,” said WPI’s Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Andrew Sears. “During the time he has served in an interim capacity, Arne has demonstrated an impressive ability to work with senior leadership, administrators, faculty governance, and faculty from across WPI to ensure that the WPI Plan continues to evolve to meet the needs of our current and future students. Not only is Arne passionate about elevating the value, visibility, and quality of project work and research for undergraduate students at WPI, he is also dedicated to expanding access to a WPI education by creating additional pathways, particularly for students from community colleges.” Gericke spent the year before his assignment as the interim dean of undergraduate studies serving as WPI’s associate dean of undergraduate studies. He joined WPI in 2011 as professor and head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and served in those capacities for 10 years. In his research, Gericke studies signaling pathways at biological membranes and has led a lab of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers at WPI focused on the biophysical characterization of lipid-mediated protein functions. Mutations in cell membrane-associated proteins can lead to a broad range of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and clues to how mutations in certain proteins disrupt the lipid-mediated signaling pathways could lead to new diagnostic techniques and the potential to identify very early signs of disease.

The leader of an iconic apparel company and the co-founder and chair of Moderna are the honored speakers for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Class of 2025 Commencement exercises, to be held May 15 and 16 at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester.  Michelle Gass ’90, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co., one of the world’s most storied and recognizable brands, will deliver the address at the university’s Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16 at 2 p.m.  Noubar Afeyan, inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of Flagship Pioneering, and co-founder and chair of Moderna, the pioneering messenger RNA biotech company, will deliver the address at the university’s Graduate Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 15 at 5 p.m. “Innovation and entrepreneurship are part of WPI’s DNA,” said WPI President Grace J. Wang, PhD. “Michelle’s visionary and innovative leadership at Levi Strauss & Co. is leveraging the brand’s iconic heritage to build sustainable growth for years to come. And Noubar’s ingenuity and capacity to connect humans, technology, and nature are powering revolutionary advances in medicine and biotechnology. They will share their stories with our graduates as they begin shaping their own futures.”  Gass is president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co., one of the world’s largest brand-name apparel companies and the global leader in denim. She joined the company in 2023 and is spearheading the transformation of the 171-year-old company into a best-in-class, direct-to-consumer-first denim lifestyle retailer. This involves expanding the Levi’s product portfolio, particularly for women, along with the company’s retail and ecommerce operations across global markets – all while honoring and upholding the company’s heritage and values.  She previously served five years as chief executive officer at Kohl’s, where she developed its ecommerce business into a multibillion-dollar operation and established innovative brand partnerships. Gass began her career with Procter & Gamble, then spent nearly 17 years with Starbucks, ultimately serving as president, Starbucks EMEA, after holding a variety of senior leadership roles across product, marketing and global strategy.  Gass has received numerous professional honors, including being named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and Businessperson of the Year lists, as well as being named The Visionary 2020 by the National Retail Federation. Raised in Lewiston, Maine, she received her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from WPI and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington. Gass and her husband Scott now live in San Francisco, and they have two grown children. Afeyan is the founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering and co-founder and board chair of Moderna. Founded in 2000, Flagship has created more than 100 companies, most of them first-in-category bioplatform companies like Moderna. Flagship companies have created more than $100 billion in aggregate value, thousands of patent applications, and have more than 50 drugs in clinical development. Moderna is known for rapidly developing and deploying a lifesaving mRNA-based vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic and for pioneering cancer vaccines in partnership with Merck.  Afeyan entered biotechnology during its emergence as an academic field and industry, completing his doctoral work in biochemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987. He was a senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management from 2000 to 2016, a lecturer at Harvard Business School until 2020, and currently serves as a member of the MIT Corporation. He teaches and speaks around the world on topics ranging from entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development to biological engineering, new medicines, and renewable energy. In 2022, Afeyan was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) announced today the election of Chartsiri “Tony” Sophonpanich ’80, president of Bangkok Bank, to its Board of Trustees. He will start his five-year term on May 1.  “Confronting global challenges is part of our DNA at WPI,” said Bill Fitzgerald ’83, board chair. “Tony has taken that charge to heart. As a renowned leader in the global banking industry, he brings deep experience in investment management to our board. His perspectives will be invaluable to WPI as we pursue our mission of delivering excellence in education and research.” Sophonpanich was appointed executive director of Bangkok Bank in 1992 and named president in 1994. He is also the chairman of Bangkok Bank (China) and president commissioner of Permata Bank in Indonesia.   He has dedicated his career to developing Thailand’s financial sector and works to find new ways to increase access to education. As the driving force behind Bangkok Bank’s initiatives to train science teachers across Southeast Asia, Sophonpanich’s efforts have supported communities through social development and educational initiatives. In 1993, he established a partnership between WPI and the faculty of science at Chulalongkorn University that continues to this day.  Sophonpanich received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from WPI in 1980 and received master’s degrees in chemical engineering and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At last year’s WPI Graduate Commencement ceremony, he received an honorary doctorate of business.  “Tony’s visionary leadership and his track record of creating partnerships and driving innovation and growth will add tremendous value to our board,” said WPI President Grace Wang. “His approaches and achievements exemplify the impact of WPI’s transformative, project-based STEM education.”

A first-of-its-kind study from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) shows that reusing automobile parts can greatly cut greenhouse gas emissions without sacrificing the quality of the products. The research, which examined commonly reused components such as engines, transmissions, bumpers, headlights, and doors across different vehicle types, highlights the environmental benefits of using reclaimed auto parts in vehicle repairs, which reduces the need for energy-heavy manufacturing processes. Brajendra Mishra, Kenneth G. Merriam Professor in Mechanical Engineering “This work provides clear, quantifiable evidence that reusing auto parts offers a practical way to reduce carbon emissions while improving supply chain resilience,” said Brajendra Mishra, the Kenneth G. Merriam Professor in Mechanical Engineering. “By extending the life cycle of automotive components, we can significantly cut manufacturing-related emissions and decrease dependency on imported parts, making the industry more sustainable and self-sufficient.” The study, led by Mishra and Hyunsoo Jin, a research assistant professor in the mechanical and materials engineering department, titled “Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Carbon) Impact of Reusing Automotive Parts for Vehicle Repairs,” was sponsored by the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA), a nonprofit organization that represents the interests of over 4,500 professional automotive recyclers across the United States and in 17 countries. The tests were conducted at WPI’s Metal Processing Institute, one of the nation’s leading centers for advancing materials science and sustainable manufacturing. The team assessed 10 common automotive components across three vehicle categories: sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Researchers analyzed data from 2015 models of the Toyota Camry, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Ford F-150, examining parts such as engines, transmissions, bumpers, headlights, doors, wheels, fenders, tailgates, hoods, and door mirrors. Using the Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET2) model and guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency, the research team measured the carbon footprint of manufacturing new parts, including mining raw materials and producing steel, aluminum, copper, plastics, glass, and rubber. Their findings confirm that reusing auto parts dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions. For instance, reusing a single Toyota Camry engine can save more than 1600 kilowatt-hours of energy (depending on the source) and prevent the emission of up to 1,760 kilograms of carbon dioxide. These amounts do not include the impact of transport emissions and end-of-life assessment. “Further findings in our research demonstrate additional benefits for recycling rather than building from scratch,” said Jin. “The energy and labor required for transporting and manufacturing new parts are significantly higher than the energy used to dismantle cars and reclaim parts."