Kane Jennings

We are proud to welcome our 2026 cohort of summer interns, marking the 15th year of the NSF REU program alongside the continued growth of the Summer Tech Crew, established in 2016. Together, these programs provide students with hands-on research and facility experience that supports innovation in nanoscale science and… Read More

  Schematic of sorption and diffusion dependence on permselectivity VINSE congratulates Sk Md Ali Zaker Shawon, a Ph.D. candidate in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, for the publication of his paper, “Decoupling the Influence of Sorption and Diffusion on Membrane Permselectivity in Pervaporation for Ethanol Dehydration,” in the Journal of Membrane… Read More

Simultaneous Spin Coating and Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (scROMP) for the Rapid Synthesis of Semifluorinated Copolymer Films. aNorbornene (NB) is a fully hydrocarbon monomer, while 5-(perfluoro-n-alkyl)norbornenes (NBFn) are partially fluorinated monomers with perfluoro chains attached to norbornenyl rings. Congratulations to Matthew Vasuta in the Jennings lab! Matthew’s paper “Fluorocarbon Minimization Via… Read More

Matthew Vasuta has been selected to receive the 2026 Provost’s Pathbreaking Discovery Award, a premier university honor recognizing doctoral students who demonstrate truly exceptional research and scholarship. Vasuta is a fourth-year PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program and a member of Professor G. Kane… Read More

SEM and STEM images highlighting the spherical morphology of photopolymerization times >12 h. The panel on the left shows an SEM image of a film before it was removed for STEM imaging. The STEM EDX image on the right introduces a green highlight to the presence of sulfur suggesting PSI. Read More

The Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE) National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) will onboard our 13th cohort of undergraduate researches on Monday, 26, 2025. Since the VINSE NSF-REU program started in the summer of 2011, VINSE has hosted 145 students. Of these students 95%… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Matthew Galazzo, Interdisciplinary Materials Science *under the direction of David Cliffel and Kane Jennings “Photosystem I:  Biohybrid Devices and Reduction Catalysts for CO2” 12.10.24  |  8:00AM |  Buttrick Hall 206 This dissertation presents the use of Photosystem I (PSI) in proof-of-concept solar redox flow… Read More

About the author: Marc Nabhan, a 2023 PhD graduate from the Department of Chemical Engineering, successfully defended his dissertation under the guidance of Dr. Kane Jennings. Currently serving as the co-founder and CEO of Optomar Technologies, Marc leads the development of a metabolic rate sensor designed for precise calorie… Read More

DISSERTATION DEFENSE Marc A. Nabhan, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering *under the direction of Kane Jennings “Interfacing Proteins with Conducting Polymers for the Fabrication of Biohybrid and Biomolecular-based Electronics” 12.04.23  |  2:30PM CST  |  048 Engineering Science Building (ESB) The overarching theme of the work presented herein is the combination of proteins… Read More

Learn more about Dr. Kane Jennings and his group. The Jennings group uses molecular engineering principles to design thin films and surfaces to impact energy and sustainability, from membrane separations to biohybrid solar energy conversion. Watch on YouTube | Hear more from Kane Jennings Jennings… Read More