Although a chemical engineer by training, Professor Rodgers has concentrated on applications of chemical engineering fundamentals to the development and better understanding of biomedical and biological systems. His specific focus uses the fundamentals of transport phenomena, mathematical modeling, thermodynamics and kinetics. His work is largely interdisciplinary and collaborative with colleagues at medical school and pharmaceutical and bioscience programs, particularly at the University of Iowa.

Research areas include Biotransport phenomena, bioreaction kinetics, redox cellular reactions, drug delivery vehicles, and bioseparations.