UD’s Wilfred Chen wins award for excellence in biochemical engineering

10:12 a.m., Sept. 24, 2015–Wilfred Chen, Gore Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware, is the recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers(AIChE) 2015 D.I.C. Wang Award for Excellence in Biochemical Engineering.

Chen is cited for the creative application of molecular techniques in engineering proteins and microbes to perform an extraordinary range of biotechnological tasks for bioremediation, biocatalysis, biofuel production, bioseparation and biosensing.

He will receive the award and deliver the Daniel I.C. Wang Award Lecture during the AIChE annual meeting Monday, Nov. 9, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

UD Provost Domenico Grasso congratulated Chen in an email: “Your distinguished accomplishments are clearly worthy and deserving of national recognition and a source of pride for our entire Blue Hens community.”

Created in appreciation of Wang’s contributions to education and research in biochemical engineering as well as his technological innovations in bioprocessing, the award is presented to a distinguished biochemical engineer and biotechnologist by the Biochemical Technology Division of the American Chemical Society and by the Food, Pharmaceuticals and Bioengineering Division of AIChE.

Awardees are selected based on innovation through research, education, or practice of biochemical engineering; successful development of new products, processes or services; research at the interface of biological science and engineering; significant publication, patents, or technology development in the field; and demonstrated economic or societal impact through innovation or practice of biochemical engineering.

Terry Papoutsakis, Eugene du Pont Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UD, won the award in 2013.

Article by Diane Kukich

BiomedicalAIChE honor