Ipsita Banerjee


Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering 

Office: 930 Benedum Hall 
ipb1@pitt.edu 
Telephone: 412-624-2071
Fax: 412-624-9639 

Education / Degrees:


PhD in Chemical Engineering, Rutgers University, 2005
Post-doctoral Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 2005-2008

Professional Interests:


 Research Keywords: Systems Biology, Signaling pathway analysis, Embryonic stem cell differentiation, Cell cycle analysis, Tissue and organ engineering, Regenerative Medicine
 
 Professor Banerjee’s research interest focuses on the area of process systems engineering and optimization and their applications in different chemical and bio-engineering problems. She is currently developing novel methods for differentiating embryonic stem cells to the pancreatic lineage and applying systems engineering principles in analyzing the regulatory network of the differentiating cell population. She is also interested in reaction network modeling energy efficient combustion processes.
Her research topics include:
• Embryonic stem cell differentiation; 
• Analysis of regulatory network of the differentiating embryonic stem cells; 
• Systems biology; 
• Uncertainty evaluation and robust model prediction in the presence of experimental uncertainty; 
• Nonlinear programming, Integer programming; 
• Reaction model reduction for hydrocarbon combustion; 
• Process feasibility and flexibility analysis;

Awards:


• ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award 2009
• NIH Director’s New Innovator Award 2009
• Selected for NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium 2012

Selected Publications:


Song, Q., Saygili, B., Banerjee, I., Zhang, Q., Berthiaume, F., Yarmush, M., “Low Power Laser Irradiation Stimulates the Proliferation of Adult Human Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells,” Culture, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, 2, 87, (2009).

Banerjee, I., and M.G. Ierapetritou, “An Adaptive Reduction Scheme to Model Reactive Flow”, Combust. & Flame., 144 , 619 (2006).

Banerjee, I., and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Feasibility Evaluation of Nonconvex Systems using Shape Reconstruction Techniques”, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 44, 3638 (2005). 

Banerjee, I., and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Model Independent Parametric Decision Making”, Ann. Oper. Res., 132, 135 (2004).

Banerjee, I., and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Development of an Adaptive Chemistry Model Considering Micromixing Effects”, Chem. Eng. Sci, 8, 4537 (2003).

Banerjee, I., and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Process Synthesis under Parameter Variability”, Comput. Chem. Eng., 27, 1499 (2003).

Balakrishnan, S., P. Georgopoulos, I. Banerjee and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Uncertainty Considerations in the Complex Kinetic Mechanisms Reduction” AIChE J, 48, 2875 (2002). 

Banerjee, I. and M.G. Ierapetritou, “Design Optimization under Parameter Uncertainty for General Black Box Models”, Ind. & Eng. Chem. Res., 41, 6687 (2002).

Banerjee, I., J.M. Modak, K. Bandopadhyay, “Mathematical Model for Evaluation of Mass Transfer Limitations in Phenol Biodegradation by Immobilized Pseudomonas Putida”, J. Biotech., 87, 211 (2001).