About

Annual report

Beckman is built for this.

The Beckman Institute is a people, a place, and a philosophy.

From the beginning, Beckman has encouraged integration and innovation. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our researchers used it as a spark of inspiration, applying existing expertise to break new barriers.

The challenges of the last year were unprecedented. Beckman was built to meet them.

Annual Report 2020-2021

The cover image of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology annual report, which reads: Built for this.

Take a peek into the 2020-2021 year at the Beckman Institute. Click below to download a full PDF of the publication.

Download report (PDF)

The research stories in the publication have been condensed in order to showcase a range of research and updates. See below for links to the full stories.

Full stories

News

2021 Beckman Institute Research Image Contest winners announced

May 28, 2021 by Meg Dickinson

Research images from a recent contest are the latest to be framed and displayed in the Beckman Institute Director’s conference room. The images showcase the range of research conducted at the institute. This year, two selected images reflect researchers’ focus on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
News

9.4 Tesla MRI at Beckman Institute expands interdisciplinary research capabilities

July 7, 2021 by Samantha Jones Toal
News

Beckman Institute to host virtual open house March 26-27

March 25, 2021
News

Beckman researchers part of team that won special ACM award for COVID-19 research

Dec. 8, 2020 by Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group

Members of the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group at the Beckman Institute were part of a multi-institutional interdisciplinary team recognized at Supercomputing 2020 with the internationally recognized ACM Gordon Bell Special Prize for COVID-19 Research. The winning team developed a new AI-driven workflow that incorporated state-of-the-art software tools from several of the largest supercomputer centers in the United States.
News

Beckman welcomes Barbey, Diao as research theme co-chairs

June 28, 2021 by Jenna Kurtzweil

Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology, neuroscience, and bioengineering at the University of Illinois, and Ying Diao, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, have been named co-chairs of the institute’s Intelligent Systems and Molecular Science and Engineering research themes.
News

Clancy collects data on COVID-19 vaccine, menstruation

April 14, 2021 by Meg Dickinson

After authoring a viral Twitter thread discussing an anecdotal link between the COVID-19 vaccine and heavy periods, Kathryn Clancy, an associate professor of anthropology, launched a survey to examine the relationship between the two.
News

Computational method provides faster high-resolution mass spectrometry imaging

Dec. 10, 2020 by Doris Dahl
News

Configuring infrared spectroscopy tools to better detect breast cancer

April 8, 2021 by Samantha Jones Toal

Current and former Beckman Institute researchers are one step closer to outlining the most efficient and effective methods of using breast cancer detection tools.
News

Illinois MRI Exhibit at Beckman Institute displays first human MRI scanners

Aug. 24, 2021 by Meg Dickinson
News

Koyejo receives C3.ai DTI funding for COVID-19 research

July 14, 2020 by Jenna Kurtzweil
News

Martha Gillette: Moving toward integration

Oct. 12, 2021 by Meg Dickinson
News

Master microscopist: Beckman welcomes Cate Wallace as Microscopy Suite manager

Aug. 10, 2021 by Jenna Kurtzweil

In her new role as Microscopy Suite manager at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Cate Wallace will foster an environment of excellence, teamwork, and inspiration.
News

New Beckman microscope raises the bar... and ceiling

Aug. 26, 2021 by Jenna Kurtzweil

When it comes to science, seeing is believing. By combining high-res external and internal imaging capabilities, the Beckman Institute Microscopy Suite’s new scanning transmission electron microscope will help scientists see more clearly than ever.
News

New X-ray imaging facility opens at Beckman Institute

Feb. 23, 2021 by Tejas Mahadevan Padmanabhan

A unique collaboration between the Beckman Institute and the campus’ engineering college has enabled the creation of a new state-of-the-art X-ray phase-contrast imaging laboratory that will enable core research for the life and material science communities.
News

Shachi Mittal's moment of inspiration: Q&A

Aug. 2, 2021 by Jenna Kurtzweil

Everyone has a moment of inspiration. Shachi Mittal's happened at Beckman Institute. In this Q&A, the former Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow reflects on her eight-year research career and pinpoints her own "moment of inspiration."
News

Spark of the team: Group works together to push boundaries

Oct. 12, 2021

The 2020-2021 year was a banner year for Beckman's Autonomous Materials Systems Group, in terms of published research and lessons learned about teamwork in the midst of the pandemic.
News

Student Researcher Spotlight: Defne Gorgun

April 14, 2021

Defne Gorgun, a doctoral student in biophysics, is our featured student researcher. Gorgun works with the Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group.
News

Sweedler, Lam, Xie's moment of innovation

Oct. 12, 2021

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Read past annual reports

Learn how the Beckman Institute has grown and innovated over the years. Find PDF versions of annual reports dating back to 1996.

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