Introducing Some of AIChE’s Recently Elected Fellows

Leo H. Chiang is R&D Fellow at Dow, where he leads the data science program. He also develops data analytics training programs and advocates for data science education in chemical engineering and the broader community. Active in AIChE’s Computing and Systems Technology Div., Chiang has been instrumental in AIChE’s recent big data analytics and Industry 4.0 programming at major meetings. He served as Program Chair of AIChE’s 2018 Spring Meeting and now serves on the Executive Board of the Program Committee. He has authored more than 60 papers and has given more than 100 conference presentations and university lectures.

Connect with Leo on Engage.

Brian Grady is the Douglas and Hilda Bourne Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Univ. of Oklahoma, where he directs the Institute for Applied Surfactant Research. Aside from a one-year sabbatical at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, he has been on the Univ. of Oklahoma faculty since 1994. A past president of the Society of Plastics Engineering, he is an editor of that organization’s journal, Polymer Engineering and Science. He has also published more than 160 journal articles and book chapters. He earned his BS from the Univ. of Illinois and his PhD from the Univ. of Wisconsin, both in chemical engineering.

Connect with Brian on Engage.

Philip J. Knieper, Jr., P.E., is an expert in the process engineering of commodity chemicals. For more than 40 years, he worked at Cornerstone Chemicals’ Frontier Facility, where he was an individual contributor, process engineering manager, and gatekeeper responsible for process maintenance and improvement, as well as increasing plant capacities safely and within environmental guidelines. After retiring, and for the past 12 years, he has been a consultant providing troubleshooting and improving plant efficiencies and equipment design. He has also led the evaluation of safety relief device systems as required by OSHA, and mentors young professionals.

Connect with Philip on Engage.

Andrew S. Moore is President of Windward Engineering (Richardson, TX), a process engineering and consulting firm specializing in sulfur recovery, process development, and process safety management/risk management planning. He has conceived, developed, and patented a novel SO_x removal process, and has developed and implemented a process engineering training program. First joining AIChE as a student at the Univ. of Texas at Austin, he reengaged with AIChE after relocating to Dallas, TX, where he served that local section in various leadership positions. His outreach activities include support for science fairs and involvement in Habitat for Humanity.

Connect with Andrew on Engage.

Lourdes F. Vega is Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Director of the Research and Innovation Center on CO₂ and Hydrogen at Khalifa Univ., Abu Dhabi, UAE. Her chemical engineering contributions focus on clean energy and sustainable products. She has also integrated molecular modeling and simulations with process modeling and optimization — developing a holistic approach for process design, with recent applications in CO₂ capture, water treatment, and sustainable cooling systems. She is the author of 230 publications and five patents, and she developed the widely used soft-SAFT molecular-based equation of state.

Connect with Lourdes on Engage.

Jessica O. Winter is Professor of Chemical, Biomolecular, and Biomedical Engineering at Ohio State Univ., where her lab is developing micro- and nanoscale technologies that directly interact with nerve cells. She applies tissue-engineering concepts to neural prosthetic devices to create biocompatible surfaces that enhance prosthesis function. She is a past chair of AIChE’s Chemical Engineering Technology Operating Council and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum, and is a member of the Public Affairs and Information Committee. She is co-founder of Core Quantum Technologies, a company that commercializes nanoparticle reagents for cancer diagnostics.

Connect with Jessica on Engage.