University of Chicago students, postdocs and faculty members got a sneak peek of 20,000 square feet of brand-new lab space they know will help change the world.
UChicago PME’s new floor in the STEM-focused Hyde Park Labs development is dedicated to collaborations and advances in research related to energy storage, climate resilience, AI and sustainability.
That work will include novel materials that have set records for their ability to repel heat, new types of batteries that are safer and longer-lasting, new ways to recycle wastewater into drinking water, and the development of a state-of-the-art AI-driven autonomous laboratory to accelerate the discovery of new polymer materials that will impact areas such as plastic circularity and energy efficient materials. The space also will be home to the Energy Transition Network, which connects fundamental research with startups and corporations, aiming to accelerate climate solutions.
During the event, UChicago PME Dean Nadya Mason told an audience of about 100 researchers, faculty, students, and staff that, “The work here is among the most important work that can be done. It impacts climate, water, energy, storage, and sustainability - so many things that are important to the world. The work that will be accomplished here will have an impact for not just our school, but for humanity and for our futures.”
For the students, the tour was an opportunity to fully explore their new research home before they move into the space.
“No pressure to change the world just because you’re working here, but as you are now in such a fantastic new facility, I fully expect you all to change the world” said Institute for Materials and Sustainability Director and Barry L. MacLean Professor of Molecular Engineering Stuart Rowan, eliciting laughter.
The new space includes five laboratories for UChicago PME research teams, including research areas to grow into as future faculty join. Throughout the design and construction process, faculty members worked with UChicago Facilities Services to customize their new lab space to the precise research needs for cutting-edge materials work.
Hsu Group postdoctoral researcher Qingsong Fan said he was excited both about having more room to work in and about the lab’s location itself. Located within the Harper Court Complex, Hyde Park Labs is nearby Metra commuter trains, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the lakefront and Hyde Park’s shopping and entertainment district.
“The location of this building is very convenient,” Fan said. “Just looking out the window, I can see restaurants nearby.”
The University of Chicago leases about half the 300,000-square-foot, mixed-use building focused on STEM. In addition to the floor dedicated to UChicago PME, there is a floor for the UChicago Science Incubator and three floors for the Biological Science Division.
This new lab space marks a major expansion for UChicago PME, which became the university’s newest school in 2019. But the space is just one of several projects poised to help the school grow, including the planned IonQ Center for Engineering and Science building at 56th Street and Ellis Avenue.
“The goal is for UChicago PME to double in size in the next 15 years, and to keep growing beyond that. That will stabilize us as a major, sustainable school of engineering nationally and globally. But to grow, we need space to grow into, and specifically, we need lab space,” Mason said.
Touring her own future space at Hyde Park Labs, Patel Group PhD student Andrea Diaz said that, to researchers, labs are more than walls, tables and fume hoods. They’re communities where ideas bubble, cultures percolate and lab dynamics turn into groundbreaking innovation.
“I’m looking forward to bringing some of that innovation here and making this incredible space and community feel like home,” Diaz said.