John M. Prausnitz AIChE Institute Lecture

The Executive Board of the Program Committee invites a distinguished member of AIChE to present a comprehensive authoritative review of the chemical engineering science in his or her field of specialization. Selection criteria include:

1. the quality and relevance of the accomplishments of the lecturer in the technical field likely to be the subject of the lecture,
2. the communication skills of the lecturer,
3. the value of the lecture to the meeting attendees and the members of the Institute

To honor Dr. John M. Prausnitz of the University of California, Berkeley's exceptional impact on the profession, society, and generations of chemical engineering students, AIChE’s Board of Directors has agreed to rename the Institute Lecture to the John M. Prausnitz AIChE Institute Lecture. The AIChE Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generosity of John’s closest peers who have made lead gifts to establish an endowment to support the Lecture and ensure John’s name will be recognized in perpetuity.

This is the 72^nd AIChE Institute Lecture.

Supported by the AIChE Foundation.

This year's John M. Prausnitz AIChE Institute Lecturer is Michael F. Doherty, Duncan & Suzanne Mellichamp Chair in Process Systems Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara.

Innovation at the Frontiers of Chemical Engineering Practice and Science

Chemical engineering industrial practice has always forged ahead to create new processes and products driven mostly by the pull of society’s desire for improved quality of life.  This often leaves room for advances in process systems engineering and in chemical engineering science to explain more subtle aspects of chemical technologies.  Such advances in understanding and predictive capabilities enable processes and products to be systematically improved.  Successful examples are plentiful, and a selection from several industrial sectors will be described in the lecture.  Looking to the future, the transition from batch to continuous manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry provides a vehicle for showcasing the possibility of impacting work flows and technology development via digital design of drug products and manufacturing processes.