Dipendu Saha

Dipendu Saha, PhD

  • Chair of Chemical & Materials Engineering
  • Associate Professor

Affiliated Programs

Education

  • PhD, Chemical Engineering (2009)
    New Mexico State University (NM)

About Me

In teaching, I am involved in both graduate/undergraduate and classroom/laboratory courses. I am quite active in assimilating the theoretical concepts with the real-world objects so that students can relate their learning to the practical use. In dealing with the most complex and critical areas of the subjects, I always like to ask the students to adopt the process of independent thinking and analytical reasoning in spite of just memorizing things, which, I believe, is the key part to generate expertise within the students.  

In research, I am active in the broader areas of materials science and engineering, mostly with nanoporous materials and their wide applications in energy, environment and biological sectors. I write research proposals to both internal and external funding agencies. I have about fifty peer-reviewed publications, invited book chapters and several conference presentations. I act as a session chair of adsorption and ion exchange session (area 2e) of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Fall meetings and serve as a reviewer for several scientific journals and funding agencies.

Research Interests

Dr. Saha’s primary research interest lies with novel and sustainable materials design with broader applications in gas separation, water purification, precious metal recovery and chemical sensing. Currently, he is involved with carbon-based synthetic nanoporous materials, visible light-activated photocatalysts and plasmonic systems.  

Media Expertise

  • Abatement of air/water pollution and environmental sustainability 
  • Adsorption and nanoporous materials
  • Photocatalysis and plasmonic systems
  • Carbonaceous materials
     

Publications

  • Gencoglu, Maria F., Amanda Spurri, Mitchell Franko, Jihua Chen, Dale K. Hensley, Caryn L. Heldt, and Dipendu Saha. "Biocompatibility of Soft-Templated Mesoporous Carbons." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 6, no. 17 (2014): 15068–15077
  • Saha, Dipendu, Yuan Lu, Karl Nelson, Jihua Chen, and Soydan Ozcan. "CO2, CH4 and N2 Adsorption in Micro-Mesoporous Graphene." J. Chemical and Engineering Data 60, no. 9 (2015): 2636–2645
  • Saha, Dipendu, Yunchao Li, Zhonghe Bi, Jihua Chen, Jong K. Keum, Dale K. Hensley, Hippolyte A. Grappe, Harry M. Meyer, III, Sheng Dai, M.Parans Paranthaman, and A.K. Naskar. "Studies on Supercapacitor Electrode Material from Activated Lignin-Derived Mesoporous Carbon Material." Langmuir 30, no. 3 (2014): 900–910.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), American Chemical Society (ACS)

Awards

  • Widener University, Outstanding Researcher Award, 2021
  • American Chemical Society (ACS): Petroleum Research Fund (PRF), 2014–2016
  • Widener University: Faculty Development Award, 2014–2015; Provost Grant, 2014–2015
  • New Mexico State University (NMSU): Honors Certificate for maintaining perfect grade point average in PhD, 2009

News

In the Media

Noteworthy

  • Chemical Engineering Student Presents his Research at Middle States Annual Conference

    By: Riya Sembhi '25 secondary education, English

    Chemical engineering student Brian Hoffman ‘23 recently presented his research at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education 2022 Annual Conference in Philadelphia where higher education faculty, administrators, and educators observed a wide array of student research projects.

    Conducting this research as part of Widener’s Summer Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (SURCA) program, his work entitled, “Porous Carbon from Non-Recyclable Plastic Wastes,” aims to reduce Styrofoam waste through burning and converting Styrofoam into carbon-based materials that can then be repurposed for water and air filters, catalysts, and more. Brian appreciated the chance to share his research with a receptive audience that had a diverse range of occupational backgrounds. 

    Having been engaged in this research since Junior year, Brian aims to continue this work as his Senior project. Now in the 4+1 Program at Widener, he hopes to maintain the research with similar projects. He thanks Dr. Dipendu Saha for his guidance and mentorship, for the opportunity to be involved with the research, and his continuous support today. 

    Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/chemical-engineering-student-presents-his-research-middle-states-annual-conference

  • Outstanding Researcher Award Goes to Engineering Associate Professor

    School of Engineering Associate Professor Dipendu Saha has received the university's Outstanding Researcher Award. It recognizes a faculty member who has exhibited distinction in scholarly work and has made a significant contribution through research to advance the profession or discipline and the university’s mission.

    Saha has an outstanding record of research within the environmental and sustainability sectors and is recognized for his investigations into novel engineering materials and processes. Saha has proven himself to be an outstanding mentor to the undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering students.  At Widener University, he co-published with 8 graduate students and 20 undergraduate students. So far, Saha has published around 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and 45 conference presentations. He has been successful in making collaborations and collaborative publications with several researchers and professors both nationally and internationally. Saha also serves as a peer-reviewer of several scientific journals and expert reviewer of research proposals from America, Europe and Asia. 

    Share link: https://www.widener.edu/node/22541

  • Dipendu Saha Publishes Critical Review About CO2 Adsorption

    Associate Professor Dipendu Saha published a critical review in Microporous and Mesoporous Materials about the role of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur functionalities on the surface of nanoporous carbons in CO2 adsorption.

    Share Link: https://www.widener.edu/node/11381