M. Soroush has contributed to the advancement of process development via his research and educational activities focusing on polymer manufacturing and renewable energy processes and functional process safety, and in recent years on nanomaterials and mRNA manufacturing processes. Polymer Processes. For more than twenty years, in collaboration with DuPont Performance Coatings and then with Axalta Coating Systems he has contributed to the development of novel polymer process designs enabling on-demand continuous production of high-quality polymers. These advances were made possible by his research team’s theoretical (quantum-chemical modeling and macroscopic-scale modeling) and experimental studies that provided fundamental understanding of existing and new (discovered by the team) polymerization reactions, enabling optimal design and operation of many novel polymer manufacturing processes, as well as artificial-intelligence-guided manufacturing of paints and coatings (P/C). Among the discoveries are that at high temperatures alkyl acrylates initiate polymerization by themselves and that molecular oxygen acts as a catalyst and co-initiator. The team also discovered the mechanisms via which these initiations occur. These studies have also helped polymer companies optimize their existing polymerization processes. A modern P/C product is a complex mixture of many chemicals including polymer resins and pigment dispersants. In recent years, his team has studied artificial-intelligence-guided manufacturing of P/C in collaboration with Axalta. The team has developed machine learning models trained on Axalta’s P/C historical data. These data-driven models have captured and described poorly understood relationships between P/C quality attributes and process design and operation parameters, enabling in-silico P/C product and process design, real-time prediction of P/C product quality attributes, P/C product defect detection and diagnosis, and monitoring and control of P/C product quality attributes. Renewable Energy Processes. His research team has advanced the design and operation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). DSSCs are a class of new solar cells that have shown tremendous promise. The team have studied liquid- and polymer-electrolyte DSSCs theoretically and experimentally, leading to the introduction of novel polymer-electrolyte DSSC designs. They also studied mathematical modeling, steady-state and dynamic behavior, and control of solid-oxide fuel cells with proton-conducting, oxygen-2 conducting, and co-conducting electrolytes. The fundamental insights gained from these studies have enabled the optimal design and operation of these fuel cells. Functional Process Safety. Process safety is the foremost non-negotiable objective in the development of every process. The nominee’s group introduced a novel framework for functional process safety, termed model-predictive safety (MPS). MPS represents an evolution in functional safety, because unlike conventional functional safety systems, it generates alarm signals that are predictive while systematically accounting for process complexities and uncertainties. It detects potential and imminent future process operation hazards in real time, and it prescribes optimal preventive and mitigating actions proactively while accounting for uncertainties in such elements as the process model and human actions. Cybermanufacturing and Modular On-demand Manufacturing of Nanomaterials and mRNA. In recent years, M. Soroush has focused on cybermanufacturing and modular on-demand manufacturing of nanomaterials and mRNA. Specifically, his team’s experimental and theoretical studies of the properties of MXenes (novel 2-dimensional nanomaterials that have a-few-atoms thick layers) and on-demand modular manufacturing of polymers have led to advances in the development of novel processes for industrial-scale manufacturing of the nanomaterials and mRNA. Undergraduate Research and Education. M. Soroush’s activities focused on process development have also impacted a relatively rarely included population — undergraduate researchers. In addition to supervising 32 undergraduate research projects on manufacturing, he is the director of the National Science Foundation-sponsored Smart Manufacturing Research Experiences for Undergraduates (SMREU) Site, which brings 12 undergraduate students from across the U.S. to Drexel for 9 summer weeks every year to gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge research relevant to cyber manufacturing and to interact with national leaders in this field through seminars.