The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering and the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University have taken the first steps toward establishing a “Cluster of Excellence” in the multi-scale systems engineering for energy and environment with the hiring of Dr. Christodoulos A. Floudas and Dr. E.N. Pistikopoulos.
Floudas, who is currently the Stephen C. Macaleer ’63 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science and professor in chemical and biological engineering at Princeton University and Pistikopoulos, who is a professor of chemical engineering at the Imperial College of London, both bring strengths in the key areas of process synthesis, design, control and optimization.
Floudas, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, will join the department as a chair professor in February 2015 and will also be appointed as the director of the Texas A&M Energy Institute.
Pistikopoulos, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, will join the department in November 2014 as a chair professor.
“Dr. Floudas will anchor our efforts to create an excellence cluster in multi-scale systems engineering for energy and the environment,” said Dr. Nazmul Karim, head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. “Building this excellence cluster will require hiring several faculty with specific expertise in addition to Dr. Floudas and one of those senior faculty has been identified as Dr. E.N. Pistikopoulos.”
In addition to the hiring of Floudas and Pistikopoulos, the faculty cluster in multi-scale systems engineering for energy and environment will have multiple faculty openings that will enrich scientifically the department and the Energy Institute.
The Chancellor’s Research Initiative (CRI), a $100 million fund at The Texas A&M University System, is credited for successfully attracting Floudas and Pistikopoulos, as well as two other professors who will join other department within the Look College.
Additionally, the Texas A&M Institute for Advanced Study (TIAS) played a part in attracting Floudas, who was instrumental in the recruitment of Pistikopoulos.
“The impact these scholars will have on our program is far-reaching,” said Dr. M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. “Each brings expertise in key research areas, which will attract other influential scholars and high-quality students to our program. The CRI is an investment in our future that will play enormous dividends in ways we cannot even calculate at this point.”
Floudas is among the top leaders in the world in the areas of process synthesis, design, control and optimization and conducts interdisciplinary research including contributions in energy, healthcare and other areas relevant to the Texas economy.
Pistikopoulos is also among the top leaders in the world in the area of process control and optimization, and conducts interdisciplinary research including contributions in energy and healthcare.
“Their presence in the department will elevate its stature in the academic community, making the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering one of the best in the country, and perhaps in the world,” said Karim. “Their presence will attract the very best students to the campus and the intellectual conversation will be elevated to levels not seen before.”