Two Purdue Chemical Engineering professors recently were approved for promotion by Purdue's Board of Trustees. Dr. Jeffrey Greeley was promoted to full professor. Dr. Rajamani Gounder, the Larry and Virginia Faith Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, was promoted to associate professor. Promotions are effective with the 2018-19 academic year.

Chemical Engineering alumnus Jeff Lievense (PhD '84, OChE '14) has been selected to receive the prestigious Raphael Katzen Award by the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB). The award celebrates distinguished contributions in the commercialization of biotechnology to make fuels and chemicals from renewable resources. Lievense is Genomatica’s Senior Advisor to the CEO, Bioengineering and Technology.

Purdue researchers have created a transparent polymer film that also conducts electricity, introducing an inexpensive organic material for applications such as the screens of electronic devices. Dr. Bryan Boudouris, Robert and Sally Weist Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Brett Savoie, Assistant Professor in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, detail their discovery in a paper published in Science.

Purdue Chemical Engineering Professor Jeff Miller worked with researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles to characterize extremely small titanium dioxide that could help convert visible light into renewable energy. Miller's group helped the researchers to understand how titanium dioxide's size and structure played a role in its ability to capture visible light.

Chemical Engineering graduate student Ravi Joshi has been selected to receive the 2018 Presidential Safety Award for his efforts to implement safety programs in the School. Joshi will receive the award during the Purdue University Annual Safety Chair Meeting on March 28.