Fabio Ribeiro, W. Nicholas and Elizabeth H. Delgass Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center, CISTAR, and Co-Director of the Purdue Engineering Initiative on Leading Energy-Transition Advances and Pathways to Sustainability (LEAPS), has recently been honored with the R. H. Wilhelm Award in Chemical Reaction Engineering from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Sponsored by ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company, this prestigious award honors individuals whose significant and innovative contributions to chemical reaction engineering, have advanced the field through originality, creativity, and novel concepts or applications.

As the 2024 awardee, Ribeiro will be recognized at the AIChE Annual Meeting’s Honors Ceremony, where he will receive a plaque and a $3,000 prize.

CISTAR, the NSF Engineering Research Center led by Ribeiro, is a nationwide collaboration involving five universities and 32 industry partners, focusing on transformative innovations in catalysis, separations, and process enhancements to responsibly harness U.S. shale gas potential and reduce carbon footprints. LEAPS, a college-wide initiative, aims to develop scalable technologies for the energy transition, transform energy-focused learning, and accelerate the translation of these technologies through strong academic-industry synergies.

Ribeiro’s research is focused on chemical reaction kinetics and the development of in situ and operando characterization tools. His current work addresses the pressing challenges of the energy transition, leveraging his expertise and the collaborative efforts of CISTAR and LEAPS.

By receiving this award, Ribeiro joins a distinguished group of scientists who have made lasting contributions to the chemical reaction engineering community.