New Jersey Center for Engineered Particulates

Distinguished professor Rajesh N. Davé is the founding director of the New Jersey Center for Engineered Particulates (NJCEP), in the Otto H. York Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, focusing on creation of advanced particulate materials and products through particle engineering.

The Center’s research combines experimental, computational and theoretical studies to achieve an understanding of particle properties at the individual particle scale to predict particle and product behavior at the macro-scale. NJCEP research has applications in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, ceramics, defense, electronics and specialty chemicals industries. Research infrastructure includes equipment for the characterization and processing of particles.

The Center faculty has been very productive in terms of granting dozens of PhDs, 200+ journal publications and over a dozen granted patents and commercialization of technology. Noteworthy licensed technology is a solventless particle coating process with applications in taste-masking and controlled release. NJCEP is well-funded by federal and industry sources, including being part of the National Science Foundation – Engineering Research Center (NSF-ERC), which is focused on improving pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. NJCEP has developed several pharmaceutical technology platforms, including a thin stripfilm real-time release methodology, funded by NSF and NIH/FDA, for delivering nano and micron-sized poorly water-soluble active ingredients for enhanced therapeutic effects.

Currently NJCEP is developing patient complaint drug-delivery vehicles, including pediatric and geriatric, and seeking commercial partnerships.