The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) announced today that Billy B. Bardin, Global Digitalization Director at Dow Inc., will become President of AIChE in 2023. Bardin succeeds 2022 President Christine S. Grant, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the inaugural Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement in the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. Alan E. Nelson, Senior Vice President of Battery Materials at Redwood Materials, will become 2023 President-elect, and will succeed Bardin as AIChE President in 2024.
Newly elected members of the AIChE Board of Directors are: Norma A. Alcantar, Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the Department of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering at the University of South Florida; Omolola (Lola) Eniola-Adefeso, Associate Dean for Graduate and Professional Education and the University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan; Hugh James, Chief Executive Officer at Project Commercialization Group (PCG); and Laura Matz, Chief Science and Technology Officer at Merck, KGaA. The directors serve three-year terms.
As Dow’s Global Digitalization Director, Billy Bardin is ensuring the development of a well-integrated and fully developed digital strategy for the company. He joined Union Carbide/Dow in 2000, and has held global leadership roles in research, development, and manufacturing. During his career, he has developed and commercialized technologies including catalytic processes for feedstocks and derivatives, processes for olefins production, and digital manufacturing. He has also created new approaches for promoting technical excellence and fostering workforce development.
A Fellow of AIChE, Bardin has served on AIChE’s Board of Directors, on the Career and Education Operating Council (CEOC), and on the managing board of AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). He is a Trustee of the AIChE Foundation, a leader of the Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division, and a member of the South Texas (Houston) and Eastern North Carolina (Raleigh) local sections. He was also the founding Chair of AIChE’s Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute — one of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Manufacturing USA Institutes.
Bardin earned his BS degree from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and his MS and PhD at the University of Virgina (UVA) — all in chemical engineering. He is a Professional Engineer in West Virginia.
He is a leader on academic and industrial boards at NCSU, UVA, and Purdue University, as well as at the MxD Manufacturing Institute — which equips manufacturers with digital tools and expertise. He also serves on the editorial board of AIChE’s Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing. Bardin’s recent honors include recognition as a Visionary Leader by the National Association of Manufacturers.
About AIChE — The Global Home of Chemical Engineers: AIChE is a professional society of more than 60,000 members in more than 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.