Earlier today, John W. Sutherland, Fehsenfeld Head of Environmental and Ecological Engineering and Professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering was named a Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering by Purdue University's Board of Trustees.

Provost Patrick J. Wolfe recognized Professor Sutherland and remarked that there is something in particular that "makes him and some others real gems at Purdue, he's not just a scientist, but a great team player, and he has devoted a lot of his personal time and attention to build up Environmental and Ecological Engineering here at Purdue. Shortly after arriving in 2009, after we were so fortunate to be able to recruit you, and over the past 15 - 16 years serving as head of a new program, he's been able to grow it into one of the nation's largest."

Professor Sutherland is an international leader in and pioneered the field of sustainable manufacturing. He has investigated such topics as circular economy, life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis of critical material applications, social sustainability, and smart manufacturing. He has secured numerous externally funded projects, mentored over 100 students to the completion of their graduate degrees, including 36 Ph.D. students, and published nearly 500 papers in various journals and conference proceedings. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, CIRP – International Academy of Production Engineering, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. His recognitions include an NSF Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, SME Education Award, ASME Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award, SME Gold Medal, and election to the National Academy of Engineering. 

Upon receiving the award, John thanked his family, advisors, and students. He acknowledged, "I certainly appreciate this honor and this recognition. I was very fortunate to be involved early on in my career in a "blue ocean" research area, a topic where I believe we haven't made much progress over the last 30, almost 35 years. And that is essentially making sustainability a core consideration in the design of products and in manufacturing."

Congratulations, Dr. Sutherland!

Read more about the Board of Trustee's meeting here.

John Sutherland, Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, smiles with colleges and graduate students outside the Board of Trustee's meeting. (Left to right: Professor John Howarter, Kim Yong Han, Ritbik Kumar, ByungGun Joung, Professor John Sutherland, Neha Shakelly, Camila Catherine de Morais Cassunde, Albin John, and Xiaoyu Zhou.)