Looking Back, Looking Ahead: AIChE in 2025

As we close out 2024, and I end my term as AIChE President, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the AIChE members, volunteers, and staff who have worked tirelessly to keep our organization running strong into 2025. Your efforts and devotion to the engineering community are the foundation of our institution, and it was a pleasure to work with each and every one of you.

The entirety of our AIChE community continues to inspire me through its professional achievements, remarkable leadership, and mentorship of engineers around the world. Through our continued involvement at conferences, seminars, workshops, local sections, and outreach activities, we remain at the forefront of our profession — promoting engagement with not only our professionals, but also with the future generations, as we look to lead chemical engineering worldwide.

This year the world has shifted, with an outlook predominated by new energy. Chemical engineers are uniquely positioned to shape a sustainable future by innovating in fields such as energy, materials science, and environmental protection. They will play a vital role in the emerging new-energy sector, applying their expertise to create cleaner, more efficient energy solutions.           

As global energy demands grow and environmental concerns heighten, chemical engineers are increasingly focused on renewable and sustainable technologies. They are collaborating with experts in other fields to integrate these innovations into existing infrastructure, and to scale them for widespread adoption. This shift in focus aligns with the industry’s goals of reducing carbon footprints and promoting a more sustainable energy future, making chemical engineering central to the energy transition.

Global leadership and collaboration as one AIChE

Collaboration and mentorship are the bedrock of AIChE, and in 2024 we continued to mentor our engineering professionals through coaching, advising, and collaborative programs to prepare the workforce for industry’s future. The 2024 AIChE Spring and Annual meetings enjoyed strong turnouts, with valuable engagement. Our initiatives with academia provided opportunities for the new generations entering the chemical engineering field. Through training and information exchange, we continued to establish the best practices and astuteness needed for our ever-changing profession. Student members and new graduates participated in our Early Career Community, gaining experience, knowledge, and insight, giving them a foothold in their area of interest. I encourage these early-career professionals to continue their engagement, which will provide the support needed to enter this exciting field.

In 2024, we also continued to expand AIChE’s impact. We received the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) renewal for our RAPID Manufacturing Institute, which is transforming manufacturing industries by advancing modular chemical process intensification technologies. 

We were also selected by DOE to lead H2CIRC, which is a collaboration across industry and academia to develop innovative and practical approaches that enable the recovery, recycling, and reuse of materials and components for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers. 

In another area, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) to partner on building a stronger worldwide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce, and to encourage more people to consider careers related to chemical and process engineering. AIChE also established the New Technology Committee to deliver sustainable benefits to the Institute and our membership. 

AIChE is indeed fundamentally and foundationally strong, and we have much to be optimistic about in 2025 and beyond.

Leadership succession

Joseph Smith, Professor at Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, becomes the new President of AIChE in 2025. Joseph has over 30 years of experience in the chemical and petrochemical industries. I have personally enjoyed working with Joseph over the past year, and I am looking forward to his leadership in 2025.

In 2024, we said goodbye to AIChE’s CEO and Executive Director, Darlene Schuster, who retired after years of devotion to AIChE, its members, and community. Darlene has been instrumental to the success of AIChE, and I thank her for her years of outstanding service to AIChE and wish her success and happiness in the next phase of her life. As AIChE works to find her replacement, Victor Bohnert from the Innovatis Group has stepped in as interim CEO to lead AIChE’s operations through the transition period. Victor has an extensive knowledge and skill base to run our day-to-day operations until Darlene’s official successor is firmly in place. 

Closing remarks

Though I am moving on, my belief in this organization and its mission is as strong as ever. I look forward to seeing the great things you will accomplish in the years ahead, knowing that our future is in very capable hands. I encourage you to continue fostering our future generations, as they will be vital in our changing and challenging engineering landscape. 

Thank you once again—it has been a privilege to be part of this journey with you.

Alan E. Nelson, 2024 President