Dr. Rakesh Agrawal, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, was invited to present the 2019 Academy of Chemical Engineers Lectureship at Missouri University of Science and Technology on April 24-25, 2019.

In its twenty-second year, the Academy of Chemical Engineers Lectureship is given annually to recognize and honor an outstanding educator within the field of chemical engineering.

Dr. Agrawal’s first lecture, titled “Challenges and Opportunities in and Emerging Solar Energy,” discussed the challenges and opportunities related to harvesting solar power and its subsequent conversions and uses.

On the second day of the Lectureship, Dr. Agrawal presented “Grad School to Industry and Back to Academia – A Cycle of Education,” which explored Dr. Agrawal’s personal educational experiences in order to present the challenges and thrills that took place as he reinvented and reeducated himself.

The first lecture focused on plausible emerging systems as the human race slowly makes transition from fossil energy to the renewable energy especially solar.  The second lecture, a cycle of education, dealt with the importance of acquiring engineering fundamentals and ability for life-long learning.  He enjoyed reflecting back and identifying important aspects of his life-long educational experiences

Dr. Agrawal received his B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, India, before earning his M.ChE. from the University of Delaware and his Sc.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests include novel processes for the fabrication of low-cost thin-film solar cells, cryogenics and gas liquefaction processes, energy systems analysis, synthesis of efficient multicomponent separation processes using distillation, and nanoparticle synthesis and use.

Dr. Agrawal and his research team currently work on the study of nanoparticle inks in solar cell manufacturing, the repurposing of agricultural waste as a carbon replacement, and renewable energy production and storage. He has presented more than 250 invited lectures and holds 125 US and over 500 foreign patents. These patents are used in more than 100 chemical plants with a multibillion dollar total capital expenditure. Dr. Agrawal has served on the engineering and technology advisory boards of a number of companies including Air Product and Chemicals, Dow Chemical, and Genomatica.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineers, American Chemical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

In 2011, Dr. Agrawal was recognized with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama.

Read more about The Academy of Chemical Engineers Lectureship at: https://chemeng.mst.edu/academyofchemeng/lectureships/

Read more about Professor Rakesh Agrawal at: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/people/ptProfile?resource_id=3942

Source: Rakesh Agrawal, agrawalr@purdue.edu, (765) 494-2257

Writer: Jessica Johnson, john1690@purdue.edu